Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik!
by shanejayell
Summary: Dr. Strange has two new apprentices, Kitty and Illyanna!
1. One

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part One: An Unexpected Arrival, and the Adventure Begins!  
  
Baron Mordo laughed joyfully as he finally broke through the outer later of defenses, appearing with a massive displacement of air in the middle of Dr. Strange's inner sanctum. Artifacts of mystical power surrounded the black haired man on all sides, orbs, books, staffs and a hundred other objects, with only one thing standing in his way.  
  
"Come on out, Stephen!" the Baron roared, "Come out and face me!" He stood there for a few moments, waiting eagerly for a response. Finally, a sleepy looking young woman stumbled out of the back bedroom while pulling a robe on around her, stopping to tie it firmly before she looked up at the Baron and smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry," Kitty Pryde said, pushing her boyish brown hair back from her eyes, "but the Doctor's not available."  
  
There was quite a long stretch of silence while Mordo tried to digest that. "So where is he?" he finally demanded of her loudly.  
  
The look on Kitty's face clearly said that she didn't much like his attitude. "He's MIA" Kitty answered with a nonchalant shrug.  
  
"Missing in action," the Baron blinked. A broad smile suddenly appeared on his face, "Then that makes me the Sorcerer Supreme!"  
  
"Not quite," a cool sounding voice came from directly behind him. The Baron quickly turned around to see a sword being pointed at his head, silvery mystic fire dancing all along it's length, held in a metal gauntleted hand. Illyanna Rasputin had a particularly unpleasant expression on her beautiful face as she said, "We're filling in for him."  
  
"His apprentices are still on guard," Kitty said as Illyanna took a half step back from the Baron, "and you're trapped."  
  
"Fools," the Baron hissed, suddenly conjuring then throwing a mystical bolt at Kitty. It flew a few feet then seemed to hit something in front of him, and bounced right back at his face. He ducked down reflexedly, but the bolt hit another barrier right behind him and bounced yet again to hit him dead center of the back, "Oof!"  
  
"The sphere you're trapped in appeared around you as soon as you broke through the outer defenses," Kitty shrugged. "It's invisible, and mirrored on the inside, so any spell you try will bounce right back at you," she smirked.  
  
"Where do you want me to dump him?" Illyanna asked as she summoned a stepping disk under her and Mordo to teleport them away.  
  
"The Dark Dimension might be fun," Kitty tapped her chin as she mused, quite enjoying the panicked look on his face, "but maybe a bit harsh. Let's just drop him up in the Rocky Mountains for a bit. It'll be good for him."  
  
"Got it," Illyanna grinned, and they were gone.  
  
"Ahh!" Thump! Mordo hit the snow, rolling to a stop as soon as he hit a tree.  
  
Floating high above him Illyanna waved at the Baron cheerfully, "The spell will fade away in a day or so, but until them I wouldn't advise trying any magic. Could be hazardous. Have fun!" With a merry laugh she teleported away.  
  
Baron Mordo looked around him, jerking wildly as he heard a wolf's howl off in the distance. It began to snow, and he shivered as he pulled his sorcerer's garb around him. Very thin garb, at that. "I think I hate them," he murmured to no-one in particular.  
  
Illyanna reappeared in the sanctum, sans armor and sword, and gave Kitty a high-five. "The team supreme strike again," she grinned.  
  
"You got that right," Kitty smiled back at her.  
  
Illyanna laughed, "Hey, maybe Big Foot will get him."  
  
"I'll believe that when I see it," Kitty took Illyanna's hand in hers.  
  
"For a mystic," Illyanna chuckled, "You certainly have a pragmatic approach to things."  
  
"It must be due to my early exposure to science," Kitty laughed. The blonde and brown haired girls returned to their bedroom together, and she softly added, "Sometimes I can't believe that we're actually here."  
  
Only a few years ago, and Kitty had been the member of the X-Men known as Sprite, and along with her best friend Illyanna, she went off to see the wizard. Or in this case, the Doctor. Dr. Stephen Strange, an old friend of Professor Xavier's, was willing to consult on Illyanna's mystical powers, and Kitty had agreed to come along with her and the Prof. for moral support.  
  
They were visiting him because Illyanna had spent years trapped in another dimension called Limbo, and had been forced to become the apprentice of a demonic wizard named Belasco. Illyanna didn't talk about that time in her life very much, or about what happened to her then, but Kitty suspected that it was very bad.  
  
When they met him in his study, Dr. Strange had a kind smile on his face, with just a bit of silver marking his carefully trimmed beard. He was handsome, if you liked that type, but his eyes had a odd depth to them. It was like he had seen things men weren't really meant to, and that he carried a few scars because of it.  
  
Dr. Strange's red and blue cloak swirled around him as he drew a small jar down from an upper shelf. "This contains the Seraphic Fireflies, creatures drawn to mystical power, or it's potential. They're quite harmless, but they will help me gauge the potential talents of young Miss Rasputin," he smiled as he carefully opened the container.  
  
Like tiny stars they hovered all around Dr. Strange first, then they moved out to the other three in the room. A few danced around the Prof. for a moment, but the rest moved on, swirling about Illyanna. Then more and more moved on, until the shining fireflies were equally divided between the Doctor, Illyanna... and Kitty Pryde.  
  
"What in the world?" a wide eyed Kitty asked.  
  
"Oh, dear," Dr. Strange murmured softly.  
  
Only a few moments later, and Kitty and Illyanna had their ears pressed up to the study door to try and hear the Professor and Dr. Strange having a discussion within. And by the sound of it, it was getting quite heated, too.  
  
"Do you hear anything?" Illyanna asked Kitty quietly.  
  
"Shhh!" Kitty hissed as she heard them starting up again.  
  
"They both have magical potential?" the Professor asked.  
  
"Not just potential," Dr. Strange sighed, "but massive potential. Not to mention the link that seems to be forming between them."  
  
"I take it they need to be trained?" Professor Xavier asked.  
  
"Indeed," Dr. Strange sighed, "and the sooner the better, really. I hate to think what a dark magician might do if he got hold of them."  
  
They felt the Prof's mind-call at the same time, 'Kitty, Illyanna, would you please come in here?' There was a pause, 'That way, you can stop pressing your ears to that door.'  
  
They went into the room together, standing in front of the two men side by side. "Sorry, Professor," Illyanna said, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"Sorry, sir," Kitty echoed.  
  
The Professor chuckled, "It's all right."  
  
Dr. Strange had a slight smile on his face, "As you've probably guessed, both of you have a great deal of potential mystic power. With your permission, I'd like to train you both in it's use."  
  
"I hate to ask," Kitty said tentatively, "but is this really necessary?"  
  
"Sadly, yes," the Doctor said, "untrained, a dark magician could tap your potential, using you like a battery to enhance his own power and draining you dry."  
  
"Eew," Kitty made a face at that mental image. She sighed softly, "But I don't want to leave the X-Men to do this..."  
  
"You may not have to," Professor Xavier reassured her, "Stephen, once she's completed her training, couldn't she return to the X-Men?"  
  
"Yes, if she so chooses," Dr.. Strange smiled.  
  
Illyanna smiled over at Kitty, "Looks like we're training together."  
  
"Study buddies," Kitty agreed, reaching over nervously to take her friend's hand.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Two

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Two  
  
HOW, EXACTLY, DID I GET HERE? the black robbed skeleton asked, his words seeming to materialize in the thoughts of all those around him. A kitten sat in his lap, batting playfully at the skeletal fingers that were being waved at it.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," the pale skinned girl noted, also dressed all in black. An ankh necklace dangled around her neck as she leaned over to pick up her cup of tea.  
  
SQUEEK! the robe shrouded rat's skeleton added, dog-paddling in it's own cup.  
  
Kitty and Illyanna exchanged a glance, then both of them raised their hands.  
  
Dr. Strange sighed softly, sipping some tea. "Only three months training, and they're calling up Deaths," the dark haired man muttered as he shook his head. With a little smile he added, "Remind me to lock up the more advanced books."  
  
"Uhm," Kitty smiled, "More tea?"  
  
"Please," the female Death held out her cup to the brown haired girl.  
  
DO YOU HAVE THOSE LITTLE SAUSAGE THINGS? the skeleton Death asked them eagerly, I LOVE THOSE.  
  
"I'll take a look," Illyanna smiled.  
  
SQUEEK, SQUEEK SQUEEK! the Death of Rats piped up before the blonde could get out of the sitting room and into the kitchen.  
  
"You could murder a cheese?" Kitty chuckled softly. An odd look appeared on her face, "How did I understand that?"  
  
Dr. Strange frowned thoughtfully.  
  
"They're both advancing that fast in their studies?" Prof. Xavier asked him a few hours later. The bald headed telepath's astral form floated just above Dr. Strange's cluttered desk, while the dark haired magician was having a strong cup of tea.  
  
Dr. Strange nodded to his old friend glumly, "You have no idea."  
  
"It's not just the difficulty of the spell, is it?" Xavier asked.  
  
"I didn't even attempt that spell," Dr. Strange waved his hand in the air, nearly spilling his cup of tea, "until after more than a year of training. Didn't succeed until a month later. And I've never accidentally summoned more than one Death!" He puffed out a breath, "The potential power of those two is greater than I thought."  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Xavier asked sympathetically.  
  
"I'll lock up the more advanced books," Dr. Strange sighed softly, "and try my best just to keep ahead of them."  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" Xavier offered.  
  
"Wish me luck," Dr. Strange smiled wryly.  
  
Upstairs, Kitty and Illyanna were sitting on their beds and talking quietly. Dr. Strange's mansion had many rooms, but due to the unusual nature of most of them, it was decided that it was probably best that they share a room together.  
  
Kitty didn't really mind that, however. She was used to sharing a room with Illyanna back at the school anyway, and it was nice having someone around to talk with. "You know," Kitty smiled, "they were kind of nice."  
  
"I thought so," Illyanna nodded. She gave Kitty an impish little smile, "Did you notice how that female Death was checking you out?"  
  
Kitty blushed furiously. Yes, she had noticed how the lady had been looking her over. It was just a wee bit unnerving. "You know," Kitty said softly, "about Piotr..."  
  
"Yes?" Illyanna asked her sympathetically. She knew that her friend had been missing Illyanna's big brother, whom Kitty had a big crush on.  
  
"I don't miss him," Kitty said softly, "at least, not as much as I thought I would." A soft sigh, "Maybe I'm really not in love with him."  
  
Illyanna smiled at her slightly, "It does happen, you know." Kitty looked over at her curiously and Illyanna elaborated, "You're around someone all the time, you might develop an attraction to them simply because they're... available."  
  
"You could be right," Kitty admitted as she rolled over on to her back.  
  
"I'm always right," Illyanna smirked.  
  
"I wouldn't go that far," Kitty shot back. She looked up at the ceiling when a thought occured to her, "Is there anyone that you're interested in?"  
  
Illyanna hesitated a moment, "Yes, there is."  
  
"Really?" Kitty sat back up to look at her, "Who is it?"  
  
"Down, Pryde," Illyanna chuckled, "it's a friend of mine." She smiled a bit sadly, "I just haven't gotten around to telling them..."  
  
"Why not?" Kitty asked her gently.  
  
"Guess I don't want to risk the friendship," Illyanna said softly.  
  
Kitty was about to persue the that when they both felt it. It was an odd feeling, like a bell ringing in their bones, and she said, "Looks like the teach is calling."  
  
Illyanna puffed out a breath in a sigh, "Let's go."  
  
They left the room and went downstairs, focusing their perceptions to ignore the illusions. An unwary traveler could be completely turned around by the mansions mystical defences, but with practice you could easily avoid them.  
  
Dr. Strange smiled ruefully, "When I told you to study and review the spell, I didn't expect you to actually cast it." Mentally he added, 'Or succeed in casting it.'  
  
Kitty and Illyanna silently exchanged a look, deciding that complicated exoplasinations probably wouldn't be a good idea. "Sorry, sir," Kitty offered.  
  
"It's all right," Dr. Strange smiled slightly. "Just don't do it again," he added with a sigh.  
  
"Thank you, sir," Illyanna smiled sweetly.  
  
'I wonder if he's the one Illyanna has a crush on?' Kitty thought, feeling an odd little stab of jealousy in her gut.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's Note: The skeletal Death as well as the Death of Rats are from the Discworld novels of Terry Prattchet, and the female Death is from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics. 


	3. Three

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Three  
  
Dr. Strange smiled to himself happily, dressed to the nines and returning home from a night out. The sanctum was peaceful from the outside, the old mansion rising up like some ancient fortress, protecting the world from dark magics. 'But appearances can be deceiving,' he thought.  
  
He frowned as he opened the front door, feeling a odd mystical vibe from within. With a gesture Dr. Strange transformed his suit to his typical mystic's garb and strode down the long hallway. He cautiously opened up the door to the main parlor, blinking in honest surprise upon seeing the small, white rabbit like creature scurry by his foot on eight little insect like legs. "What in the world?" he said in surprise.  
  
Kitty was wielding a large mallet, hammering down on any of the pale creatures nearby her. Illyanna wielded a similar device on the other side of the room, while a dark haired younger girl was clobbering them in the middle. There seemed to be only a few of the creatures left, but the room itself was a complete shambles, the tea service spilled across the floor.  
  
Both of his apprentices saw him enter the room, Kitty gasped to him, "Wait a minute!" even as the brown haired girl took out another bunny- thing.  
  
Dr. Strange raised his hands and chanted the beginnings of a powerful containment spell, "Let the Crimson bands of Cytorak..."  
  
"Don't!" Illyanna cried out, even as he finished the spell.  
  
SH-POOF!  
  
Suddenly, the room was filled with white little bunny things!  
  
"I told you not to," Illyanna growled out angrily, the blonde clobbering another bunny with a certain amount of excessive force.  
  
The dark haired girl groaned loudly, "They feed off of any supernatural power! A spell simply allows the bugs to replicate themselves faster."  
  
"Toss him a mallet," Kitty swung, splating a bug against the wall. "Brute force works, even if spells don't," she added.  
  
"Right," the girl threw Strange a mallet, even as she went back to clobbering.  
  
Dr. Strange hefted the mallet, testing the weight in his hand. He shrugged off his long cloak of levitation, took a few practice swings, then he joined them in bug squishing.  
  
Thankfully the four bug wackers were able to get a handle on the problem pretty quickly, and not too long afterwards they were sharing a cup of tea together. Kitty poured it gracefully, taking a bit of extra time with Illyanna's, but she did so with a certain amount of style.  
  
"My name is Skuld," the dark haired girl said to them apologetically, "and I'm really sorry about all of this." The little girl wore odd robes, with triangular markings on her face. There was a feeling of power around her, as well as a strange sense of age.  
  
"Skuld," Strange murmured, then his eyes widened. 'One of the three Norns? But what is she doing here?' he wondered.  
  
"It really surprised me," Kitty gently smiled at Skuld as she said, "when you erupted from my full cup of tea."  
  
"I didn't mean to," Skuld looked down and blushed slightly, "you see, I was looking for my big sisters, Urd and Belldandy. I thought that I sensed their powers, but it seems it was you two that I had detected."  
  
Dr. Strange had a very odd look on his face as he said to her softly, "You mistook the power level of my two apprentices for your goddess sisters?"  
  
"I guess so," Skuld nodded glumly.  
  
"I'm sorry I threatened you," Illyanna said to Skuld softly. When the little girl's appearance had shocked Kitty that way, she just went on auto- pilot. The Soulsword manifested in her hands, she pushed Kitty behind her, and got ready for a fight.  
  
That's when the first bug-bunny had appeared.  
  
Without really thinking about it, Illyanna had stepped forward and cut down on the fuzz-ball with her flaming sword.  
  
SH-POOF!  
  
And suddenly the three girls had been knee deep in the furry bugs. A single attempt at a spell by Kitty showed them that magic was a very bad idea, and Skuld had passed out the hammers. They were finally getting things under control when Dr. Strange had come back...  
  
"What were those things, anyway?" Kitty asked. She was trying very hard not to think about the warm feeling that she had experienced, when Illyanna had stepped forward to defend her. She looked up to see Illyanna smiling at her, and blushed.  
  
"Bugs in the World Tree control system," Skuld said grimly, "they'll keep appearing as long as I or my sisters remain on this world." After a deep breath she added, "It's why I have to find them as soon a possible!"  
  
Illyanna nodded thoughtfully and held up a hand, "Half a second." She summoned a stepping disk and simply disappeared, only to reappear a few moments later.  
  
"Where did you," Skuld blinked, a bit surprised herself.  
  
"I checked my scrying pool," Illyanna smiled cheerfully, "both of your sisters are in Japan, near Tokyo, living in an abandoned Shinto shrine." She didn't add that they were both staying with a young man, as Illyanna suspected she would not be too happy to hear about that.  
  
"Thank you very much," Skuld beamed. She sat her cup down on the table, then backed up a few steps. She gave them a sunny smile, "It was nice to meet you!"  
  
Skuld took a running start and then leapt into the teacup, disappearing in a burst of light!  
  
"Wow," Kitty murmured softly. She looked over at Dr. Strange, "Why..."  
  
"According to the literature," Dr. Strange murmured, "the three goddesses can transport themselves through different things. Skuld via water, Belldandy through mirrors, and Urd through electricity, or more recently through electrical devices."  
  
Illyanna noticed that the good doctor looked just a little bit distracted as he talked, as if the older man were considering a much greater problem than Skuld's little visit. "Is something wrong?" Illyanna asked him softly.  
  
Dr. Strange forced a smile, "Nothing terribly important." He rose to his feet, looking around at the mess. Rather apologetically he asked, "Would you two mind..."  
  
Illyanna was about to say something cross, but Kitty put a gentle hand on her arm. "Sure sir, no problem," Kitty told him cheerfully. Once the Doctor had left she said to Illyanna softly, "Remember, we're apprentices, so it goes with the territory."  
  
Illyanna pushed her long blonde hair back and sighed, "I guess you're right."  
  
Kitty chuckled, "I'm always right." They swept away for a few minutes, until she asked Illyanna, "Dr. Strange says we can have a day off soon." A bit of a blush appeared on her cheeks, "Would you like to go out with me?"  
  
Illyanna smiled at Kitty happily, "I'd love to." They worked on, and Illyanna laughed to herself softly. Kitty looked at her curiously, and she said to the brown haired girl, "If you hadn't asked me out soon, I'd have asked you myself."  
  
They both shared a quiet laugh at that.  
  
Authors Note: the characters of Skuld, Urd and Belldandy are from the manga and anime series Oh My Goddess. The bugs also appeared early on in the series, and were defeated by a rousing game of... Twister. No, I am not kidding. 


	4. Four

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Four  
  
Kitty looked around the club curiously taking in all the different kinds of people around them before she settled down beside Illyanna at the little dining table. "How did you find out about this place?" she asked Illyanna softly.  
  
"Actually, it found me," Illyanna admitted.  
  
"Huh?" Kitty blinked.  
  
The Witching Hour was a little place not far from Dr. Strange's sanctum, and almost as soon as Kitty walked in, she had felt at home. There was an aura of magic about the place, as well as a sense of possibility. It was almost as if anything could happen in there. It was mostly just a few dining tables, a small stage, and a medium sized dance floor.  
  
"This place is exclusively for users of magic," Illyanna explained, "and only those possessed of a certain degree of power can enter here. It actively travels to those possessed of magic, and can be found anywhere on the globe."  
  
"Incredible," Kitty murmured, considering the complexity of the magics that must be at work to allow that to happen.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Illyanna nodded. "The only rule that you must obey," the blonde haired girl said seriously, "is that the club is neutral territory. No fights in here, and you can't run from a fight to hide in here. The manager, whomever that is, won't allow it."  
  
Kitty frowned thoughtfully, "Couldn't it be some sort of trap for magic users?"  
  
"It's been operating for decades," Illyanna shrugged, "and nothing's happened yet."  
  
"Yet being the operative word," Kitty pointed out.  
  
"Do you want to go back home?" Illyanna asked her quietly, the expression on her face one of disappointment as she looked across at her brown haired friend. 'I wanted this to be a ice time out,' she thought ruefully, 'too bad.'  
  
Kitty shook her head, "No. I guess I'm just assuming the worst."  
  
"Good," Illyanna smiled. She waved, and got the attention of a waitress.  
  
"So what can I get you folks?" the cat girl came up to them and asked cheerfully. Sticking up out of her light brown hair were cat's ears of a more reddish color, and a matching long tail swished around her slim legs.  
  
They both placed their orders, and as the waitress walked away Kitty said with a smile, "I wonder if we should be calling her kitty."  
  
"I wouldn't chance it," Illyanna smirked, "I bet that kitty has claws."  
  
The food was quickly delivered, and a quick sampling showed it was delicious. They both ate hungrily, sharing some morsels between them if they found something that they really liked, and soon both of them were full.  
  
Finally Kitty pushed her plate back with a happy sigh, "That was good!"  
  
"What did I tell you?" Illyanna grinned.  
  
Music started up, softly in the background, and people began to rise up from the tables and dance slowly together. It was a pretty instrumental tune, not hard on the ears at all.  
  
"I wouldn't mind dancing," Kitty admitted, "but there's not many cute guys around." Two of the remaining cute guys got up and began to dance together quite intimately. "That cute, I guess it figures," Kitty sighed to herself softly. She found herself sneaking a glance at Illyanna, though she wasn't quite sure why.  
  
"We could always dance together," Illyanna suggested nervously.  
  
Kitty looked just a bit surprised, then she smiled at Illyanna quite sunnily, "Good idea." She slid her chair back and stood, offering her hand.  
  
"Thank you," Illyanna took it and rose up smoothly. They moved out on to the dance floor together, and for a moment both girls tried to lead the other.  
  
"Ouch," Kitty winced slightly as Illyanna stepped on her toes. She smiled wryly, "You get to lead, you're a bit taller."  
  
"Right," a blushing Illyanna answered.  
  
They stumbled a bit but managed to find the rhythm of the slow song and began to sway together closely. Illyanna tugged Kitty close to her, the two dancing gracefully. It felt kind of nice, cradling her friend this way.  
  
Kitty found herself closing her eyes, relaxing in the safety of Illyanna's arms. It felt so good, letting the other girl guide her gently across the dance floor. She opened her eyes and looked up at Illyanna's face, mildly surprised at the look of utter contentment that she found there.  
  
"You lead wonderfully," Kitty tried to make a joke, but she was sure that her voice showed her depth of her feeling in that moment.  
  
Illyanna smiled back at her, her hands tightening just a bit on Kitty's shoulders as she said huskily, "And I think you follow divinely."  
  
Kitty looked up into Illyanna's eyes and realized something quite profound. "The friend you said you were in love with," she asked Illyanna softly, "it's me, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes," Illyanna said, a bit of a blush on her face. She looked down at Kitty's smiling face and softly asked, "You don't mind?"  
  
"A little surprised," Kitty admitted, "but I don't mind." She paused a moment, then quietly asked, "Why didn't you tell me? I thought Dr. Strange was your crush!"  
  
"Stephen?!" Illyanna blurted out. "He's too old!"  
  
Dr. Strange blinked, sitting up straight in his seat at a rear table. 'I'm not that old,' he thought to himself, glad that he had hidden himself behind a powerful illusion when he saw them come in. He sat back with a sigh, considering the problem of his two students.  
  
He hadn't even found out about the existence of the Witching Hour until well after he had completed his apprenticeship under the Ancient One. The fact that the two girls could even find the place much less get in was yet another sign of their potential.  
  
'I think I'm getting the point,' Dr. Strange sent the thought out to the universe at large, 'you don't need to give me any more signs, thank you very much.'  
  
With how quickly both of them were progressing, he was going to have to pick up the pace of his teaching. Illyanna's natural talent for magic was impressive, but in some ways Kitty's analytical mind worried him more. She was already starting to take apart and reassemble spells for new functions. What she might do as a master was mind boggling.  
  
Dr. Strange watched the two of them dance together and found himself wondering just what, exactly, he was going to be unleashing on the world once they completed their training!  
  
To be continued... 


	5. Five

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Five  
  
"Logan," Kitty cried, throwing her arms around him in a hug.  
  
Logan grinned, patting her on the back, "It's good to see you back here, kid. You and Illyanna just visiting?"  
  
"Illyanna's visiting Peter and I though I'd stop in to see you," Kitty smiled.  
  
"You ain't stopping in to see Pete?" Logan raised an eyebrow.  
  
Kitty looked away, "No, I'm not."  
  
"Guess the crush has ran it's course," Logan remarked dryly.  
  
Kitty sighed, feeling just a bit irritated at how easily Logan could read her, even after being away a few months. "Something like that," she conceded. She looked around curiously, "Where's Lockheed? How's he been doing?"  
  
"Irritated you've been away, Kitten," Storm's voice came from the doorway. Ororo walked in, and Lockheed flew from her arms towards Kitty.  
  
Lockheed circled around her, "Coo!" He agilely settled onto her shoulder, wrapping his tail around her neck and purring softly.  
  
"Who's been a good dragon," Kitty murmured, scratching Lockheed behind the ears.  
  
"Not him, certainly," Ororo chuckled.  
  
Kitty remembered a vision that she had called up in the scrying pool, a image of Ororo dressed in biker's leathers and her hair cut into a mohawk. 'Never happen,' she though, looking over at the motherly African woman standing there.  
  
"He's been a real trouble causer," Logan nodded to Lockheed. He looked at Kitty curiously, "Why not have him over at Doc Strange's place?"  
  
Kitty shook her head, "Can't risk it. With all the fragile mystic artifacts around, he's probably end up accidentally opening a portal to the Dark Dimension the first day." A soft sigh, "And I don't think I could bear seeing him hurt or killed because of me."  
  
"I understand," Ororo nodded. She looked over at Kitty curiously, at the pendant that she was wearing around her neck, "What is that?"  
  
"It's a lesser amulet that Dr. Strange gave me," Kitty smiled as she gestured to the square silver pendant. "It's tied to his own Eye of Augamoto, and is particularly effective against creatures of demonic evil," she explained to them cheerfully.  
  
"Not bad," Logan nodded. He quirked an eyebrow, "So how's the magic lessons going?"  
  
"Care for a demonstration?" Kitty asked with a smile. Both quickly turned down that offer and she laughed, "Pretty well, I think."  
  
Over in another wing of Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters Peter Rasputin worked on a painting, his sister sitting on his bed while they talked quietly. The image was a portrait, but of whom wasn't quite clear.  
  
"So I wanted to know what you thought," Illyanna finished.  
  
Peter used a brush to put a bit more pain on the canvas, "You and her?" A short pause before he admitted, "I don't think I ever realized."  
  
"Neither did I, really," Illyanna sighed. "I didn't want to let myself realized, especially since I knew she had a crush on you," she added.  
  
"Katya," Peter smiled slightly, "in a way, I'm glad that she's over me." He blushed just a bit, "I've met someone recently, and I was feeling a bit guilty."  
  
"Then I'm glad for you," Illyanna smiled up at him happily. She hesitated a bit, "You.. don't mind, do you?"  
  
"It'll take some getting used to," Peter cautioned her, "but if you're happy, I'm happy. Have you told her about how you feel?"  
  
"Yeah," Illyanna smiled, "I sort of blurted it out to her." A soft sigh, "But she hasn't told me yet how she feels about it."  
  
"Katya had best treat you well," Peter intoned, fully in his protective big brother mode, "or she will have to answer to me."  
  
Illyanna snickered softly at that.  
  
"What?" Peter looked at her in surprise.  
  
"Kitty's pretty good at combat magic, too," Illyanna said with a smirk, "if she wanted to, you couldn't even get near her."  
  
Peter transformed a moment into Colossus, "But magic is vulnerable against steel, is it not?"  
  
Illyanna was dead serious as she said, "Trust me, Kitty would figure out a way around that." She got up off the bed and gave him a hug, "See you later, Peter."  
  
With that, Illyanna summoned a stepping disk and teleported out of the room, only to reappear in an office. The bald headed man sitting behind the desk looked up at her with a smile, "I'm glad you could come by to visit."  
  
"Hello, Professor," Illyanna smiled at him, "it's been a while." She pulled over a chair and sat in front of the desk, "You mind-called me, I came. What's up?"  
  
"I've talked to Stephen," Professor Xavier said quietly, "he's told me a bit more about the Bloodstones you wear."  
  
Illyanna nodded grimly, grasping the locket she always wore. The Bloodstones, created from three pieces of her very soul, consecrated to try to open a gateway to one of the demon dimensions. Belasco had created them when he held her captive in the dimension of Limbo, and they still bound her to him in the darkest of ways.  
  
"Dr. Strange has taken some precautions," Illyanna smiled grimly. "He's given one of his lesser amulets to Kitty, so if Belasco does manage to turn me, Kitty can fight me if necessary," she explained to him quietly.  
  
"If Belasco does return to this dimension," the Professor pledged, "the X-Men will do everything that they can to help."  
  
"Thanks," Illyanna smiled. She sighed softly, "Besides, I've got more important things to worry about right now."  
  
The Professor's eyes widened, "Like determining if Kitty shares your feelings."  
  
"Professor!" Illyanna jerked up in her chair.  
  
"Sorry," Professor Xavier apologized, "occasionally a forceful thought will just leap out and hit me right between the eyes."  
  
Back with Kitty and the others Lockheed was enjoying a good ear scratching as Kitty caught them up on what had been happening to her.  
  
"So Illyanna's interested in you," Logan said thoughtfully.  
  
"Have you told her about how you feel?" Ororo asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know how I feel," Kitty sighed. She smiled at them wryly, "This is all a little new to me, you know."  
  
"Maybe," Logan said, "but I wouldn't want to be Illyanna right now."  
  
Ororo nodded gravely, "It must be difficult for her, having revealed her own feelings but not yet knowing what yours are."  
  
Kitty leaned back in her seat with a sigh, "I guess you're right. I owe it to her to at least try to figure this all out."  
  
To be continued... 


	6. Six

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Six  
  
The swords were raised up in the guard position, then a voice cried out, "Begin!"  
  
There was a flash of silver and a ring of steel as the blades crossed, the taller opponent clearly having the advantage over the other one. A point was swiftly called,. then two, until the match was declared for the tall fighter.  
  
The shorter woman gave a respectful salute then walked over to the sidelines, pulled off her mask and then shook out her mane of long blonde hair. "Tell me again why this is a good idea?" Illyanna sighed.  
  
"You use a sword in battle," Kitty smiled from her seat on the sidelines as she quietly said, "and magical or no it's a good idea to improve your basic skills." Her eyes widened as she saw the other fighter nearing them, "Incoming."  
  
Illyanna swiftly turned to see the taller woman pull her own mask off, revealing long waves of orange-red hair and intense eyes. "Arisugawa Juri," the woman introduced herself as she offered her hand, "it was a good match."  
  
"I didn't even score a point on you," Illyanna said with a sigh.  
  
Juri smiled just slightly, "You have the speed and agility to be good at this. All that is required is the dedication and focus to train those talents."  
  
"Thank you," Illyanna blushed.  
  
"It's a pity I'm returning to Japan soon," Juri admitted as she looked over Illyanna thoughtfully, "I would enjoy training you."  
  
As Kitty listened to her she wondered if Juri had intended to put two meanings into her soft drawl, but decided not to take any chances. She stood up, smoothly taking Illyanna's arm in a very girlfriend like way as she smiled up at the duelist. In her perkiest manner Kitty asked her, "Would you care to join us for lunch later?"  
  
Juri smiled slightly, a nod of her head showing she clearly understood Kitty's gesture. "No, thank you. I'm meeting friends," she said gracefully.  
  
"Juri-san!" a pink haired woman called out and her darker companion waved, so Juri excused herself with a smile and walked over to them.  
  
"Thanks for the rescue," Illyanna sighed, "she's just a bit too intense."  
  
"You're welcome," Kitty said softly, an odd look on her face. She hadn't even thought about it, really, warning Juri off like that. Illyanna quickly collected her fencing gear and they headed out of the YWCA into the warm night air together.  
  
"Do you want to head right back to the Sanctum, or go out and grab some dinner first?" Illyanna asked Kitty softly.  
  
"Dinner sounds like a good idea," Kitty smiled up at her as they walked on. "How about the Witching Hour?" she asked.  
  
"Good idea," Illyanna grinned.  
  
It didn't take the two of them long to find the familiar stairway down below street level. They walked side by side through the old fashioned front door, nodding to familiar faces as they went. John Constantine sat at one table, Mister E at another, Satana, Hellstrom, and many others.  
  
"Hey there's the Doc," Kitty pointed him out without being too noticeable, "but who's that lady he's sitting with?"  
  
The white haired young woman had a certain elegance about her, an almost regal quality. She was beautiful, but in an alien, unearthly way. It wasn't anything terribly obvious, but the impression you were left with was that she wasn't quite human.  
  
"Clea, I think," Illyanna frowned as they settled down into a secluded corner table. They ordered something to drink to start with before she added, "He told us about her when he was talking about his battle with Dormamu."  
  
"There's someone I wouldn't want to cross swords with," Kitty nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"You might have to one day," Illyanna pointed out with a smile.  
  
"What?" Kitty blinked, "Why?"  
  
"It's the Sorcerer Supreme's job to defend this dimension from beings like him," Illyanna explained patiently, "and we're the apprentices of the Sorcerer Supreme. If the job ever... comes open, we're next in line."  
  
"And if I don't want the job?" Kitty asked softly.  
  
"Probably would fall to one of the baddies," Illyanna said thoughtfully, "Baron Mordo, maybe, or Doctor Doom."  
  
"There's a pleasant thought," Kitty sighed.  
  
A waiter arrived with their food order, dropping off the two plates efficiently. "Did we order this?" Illyanna blinked.  
  
"The cook's precognitive," the waitress explained quite cheerfully, "this is what you would have ordered from us eventually."  
  
Illyanna tilted her head to the side, "I guess that makes sense."  
  
"Enjoy your meal," the girl gave a cheerful wave before leaving. She was waved down by another patron, "Wanda, good to see you." With that, she took down the Scarlet Witch's order and bounced off once again.  
  
"Illyanna," Kitty said softly, looking across the table to meet the pretty blonde's eyes, "how did you fall in love with me? I'm not that attractive, bookish, even shy at times. It's something I still don't understand."  
  
"For someone so smart," Illyanna smiled slightly, "you can be really stupid sometimes." She took a little sip of her drink, "You are beautiful, at least to me. You're kind, generous, and gentle, you opened up yourself to me, a near stranger who moved into your room and invaded your space." A pause, "But that's not why I fell for you."  
  
Kitty waited, and Illyanna remained silent. "Why?" she finally had to ask.  
  
"Because where you are," Illyanna said softly, "is home to me. We could be stranded on a desert island together and I'd be content, knowing you were there with me."  
  
"I didn't know you could be so poetic," Kitty reached out to put her hand on Illyanna's. Softly, "I'm still all mixed up about this, though. I do know that I care more for you than anyone else on Earth." A smile, "The rest, I think, will just take time."  
  
"I'm patient," Illyanna smiled at her as she gently squeezed Kitty's hand, "I can wait."  
  
A few tears glittered in Kitty's eyes, "Thank you."  
  
"Now let's dig in before dinner gets cold!" Illyanna laughed.  
  
Over at their table Dr. Strange looked over at Clea grimly, "It's certain, then?"  
  
"Yes, Stephen," Clea said softly, "my Uncle has returned." A short pause, "And the Dark Dimension needs your help to be free of him."  
  
"But," Stephen Strange started to say.  
  
"You are the only one whom has ever defeated him," Clea said intensely. "You must help," she reached out to take his hands.  
  
Stephen sighed, "Normally my duties as Sorcerer Supreme would bind me to this dimension." He thoughtfully gazed to where his two students sat, "But perhaps they are ready..."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's Note: Juri and friends are from the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena. Mister E and John Constantine are both mystics from different DC comics series. Finally, Satana, Hellstrom and Clea are all Marvel comics sorcerers. 


	7. Seven

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Seven  
  
"You have got to be kidding me," Kitty finally managed to get out, once Dr. Strange finished making his little announcement. He had called the meeting quite suddenly, giving her little time to change out of her clothes from her and Illyanna's night out, so she had just thrown on her blue Xavier's School sweatshirt and black jeans.  
  
"There's no way we're ready for this," Illyanna added seriously, having stayed in her own tight T-shirt and blue jeans..  
  
"You have some rather unruly students, Stephen," the white haired young woman in a simple purple bodysuit noted with a smile. Clea, the former ruler of the Dark Dimension, watched the two girl's thoughtfully, her expression one of amused interest.  
  
"I caught them by surprise," Dr. Strange said to her quietly as he adjusted his own wizardly garb, "normally they're a bit more compliant." He was settling the Eye amulet on the base of his throat as he turned back to Kitty, "Sorry, but I'm not kidding."  
  
"You can not seriously intend to go off into the Dark Dimension and leave the two of us in charge of protecting the Earth," Kitty scowled.  
  
Dr. Strange was smiling at them, an odd, almost amused smile. Illyanna gave him a scowl and asked, "What's so funny?"  
  
"I haven't been entirely forthcoming with you about your rapid progress in the mystic arts," Dr. Strange rather sheepishly admitted to them as his cloak of levitation swirled all around him, "you see, both of you have in fact advanced well beyond the point I had been trained when I first left the Ancient One's training."  
  
"Which means?" Illyanna asked grimly.  
  
"We're about as well trained as he was when he first started out as Sorcerer Supreme," Kitty said with a slight smile. She tilted her head slightly in thought, "So why not just send us in to take on Dormamu instead of you, then?"  
  
"No," Dr. Strange shook his head firmly, "this is something personal, between him and myself. I have to be the one to face him, to finish what I started so long ago."  
  
"Now you're beginning to sound like Logan," Illyanna muttered.  
  
Kitty chuckled, "There's worse things to sound like."  
  
Clea put her hand gently on Dr. Strange's arm, "Stephen, the time of passage grows closer. And I worry, leaving my rebels without guidance and mystical protection."  
  
Dr. Strange nodded seriously. He turned back to Kitty and Illyanna, "I won't command you to do this, but I am asking. Will you watch over this Dimension in my absence?"  
  
Kitty exchanged a long look with Illyanna, communicating with her roomie and best friend silently. "We'll do it," Kitty said with a firm nod.  
  
"But get back here as fast as you possibly can," Illyanna added grimly.  
  
"Thank you," Dr. Strange smiled, patting each of their shoulders in a manner to an equal, rather than as an master to apprentice. "I'm sure you will do well," he said before adding, "I'll keep in touch with you using the Orb, but I can't promise regular messages."  
  
The large, empty chamber in the center of the house was the focus of much magical energies, and was maintained just for the purpose of opening this kind of gateway. The preparations for the transit spell only took the four of them a few moments, then their master began to speak. It was a harsh language, almost inhuman, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with each of the words. Space itself seemed to tear, and a pathway stretched out in front of them, leading off in a twisted course between the dimensions.  
  
"Good luck," Kitty called out as Dr. Strange and Clea stepped out onto the paths.  
  
"Watch your backs out there," Illyanna advised them gravely just before they were gone from her and Kitty's line of sight.  
  
Kitty stepped forward, and with a few softly spoken words and gestures closed up the gateway, leaving no sign there ever was a hole in space there. She blew out a nervous breath, "Guess we're on our own, now."  
  
Illyanna smiled at her gently, reaching out to take Kitty's hand, "We're the team supreme of magic, remember? We'll handle this."  
  
"You're right," Kitty nodded firmly.  
  
They walked through the halls of the Sanctum, and both picked up on an unusual feeling. It wasn't a bad sensation, it was more of a feeling of... belonging. "Did the Doc do something before he left?" Illyanna finally had to ask.  
  
"Probably," Kitty looked thoughtful. She tapped her chin a moment before saying, "Come on, I want to try something."  
  
Illyanna gave her a wary look as she followed her, "The last time you said that, we ended up summoning three Deaths, Pryde."  
  
"I didn't know that saying the spell together would be so powerful," Kitty shrugged slightly. She lay her hand on the wall, thinking of something she had seen Dr. Strange do. "I want to go upstairs," she murmured to the house.  
  
Illyanna opened up the nearby door, and both didn't too look terribly surprised to see that one of the upstairs rooms now lay behind it. Illyanna gave Kitty a look, "The Doc gave us control of the Sanctum, didn't he?"  
  
"Looks like it," Kitty agreed. She reached over to shut the door again, courteously murmuring to the house, "Thank you."  
  
Illyanna smirked slightly as she looked around at the refined decorations all around them, the house's general impression of being an antique. "I wonder what Doctor Strange would say if we redecorated?" she asked.  
  
Kitty chuckled, "I don't think I want to know."  
  
The walked on together quietly for a time, eventually reaching the Doctor's study, where the Orb floated, glowing golden. Mystic artifacts were scattered all around then, the room itself literally bursting with magical energies. Pointedly, the locks were off the bookcases containing the advanced mystical books, and the room seemed to welcome them joyfully.  
  
"Looks like we've got ourselves a workshop," Illyanna smiled. She looked over at Kitty, "So how long do you think it'll take the darker forces to discover the Doctor is gone?"  
  
"Probably not long," Kitty surprised her with a wicked smile, "it'll give me a chance to test out my new combat spells."  
  
Illyanna gave her an odd look, "Try not to be so eager, all right?"  
  
Kitty blew her a raspberry.  
  
"Oh, so mature," Illyanna grinned.  
  
"We'll manage, partner," Kitty slid her arm into Illyanna's. "As long as you're with me, I'm sure that all will be well."  
  
Illyanna squeezed Kitty's hand gently, "You got that right, partner."  
  
To be continued... 


	8. Eight

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Eight  
  
Professor Charles Xavier had rather gotten used to seeing an astral form hanging just above his study's desk. Stephen Strange had often communicated with him using that method, as well as communicating with other telepath's that way. However, it was just a bit of a shock seeing Kitty's astral form floating there.  
  
"This is the first time I've tried projecting over this kind of distance," Kitty said with a slight smile, "can you hear me?"  
  
"Just fine," the Professor smiled.  
  
"Just wanted to let you know that Illyanna and I may not be able to get over to the school for a while," Kitty explained.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Charles asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"Dr. Strange had a problem he needed to deal with outside of our dimension," Kitty shrugged, "and he's sort of left Illyanna and me in charge."  
  
There was a long moment of silence.  
  
"What?" the Professor blinked. It took a moment for what she said to fully register, "Are you certain that you're ready?"  
  
"No," Kitty answered him frankly, "but the good doctor seems to think so." She shrugged, "If Illyanna and I call the X-Men for help, come running."  
  
"I rather doubt you'll need to," Charles smiled at her gently, "but we will be ready."  
  
Kitty began to fade out, "Thanks, Prof. Could you pass it along to Piotr that we won't be around for a bit..."  
  
Back at the Sanctum Kitty winced, her face going bone pale. "All right," Illyanna said to her firmly, "that's enough."  
  
"I didn't get to finish," Kitty rubbed at her temples, trying to ease the headache.  
  
"You've only done this a few times," Illyanna gently reminded her, "the sort of endurance the Doctor manages probably comes with practice." She gently helped pull Kitty up from where she was kneeling, "You want something to eat?"  
  
Kitty's stomach growled loudly. "First thing that the Doc taught us," she smiled at Illyanna wryly, "concervation of energy. We use energy for magic, we have to replace it."  
  
The two made their way into the spacious kitchen, and Illyana felt the domestic spirit's unspoken but crystal clear question. "Two bowls of chicken soup," she instructed it, "and three baloney sandwiches, please."  
  
The cupboards openned up, cans of chicken soup floating by even as the fridge opened up. Bread slices flew, meat, and a saucepan was placed above the flame. The soup was poured into the pan, and three sandwiches were quickly assembled onto a plate.  
  
"I never get over seeing that," Kitty murmured. She looked at Illyanna curiously and asked, "Why three sandwiches?"  
  
Illyanna shrugged, "One and a half each."  
  
"Makes sense," Kitty agreed as the meal was dished up on the little dining room table. They sat down to eat, quickly downing soup and sandwiches both. Munching on the last of the food Kitty smiled at Illyanna gently, "Thanks for taking such good care of me."  
  
The beautiful blonde blushed slightly, looking down shyly. "It's nothing, Pryde," Illyanna said to her softly in reply.  
  
"Oh, no," Kitty reached out to gently put her hand on Illyanna's, "it's certainly something."  
  
The two young women gazed across the table at each other, a bit of a blush touching their cheeks, when...  
  
Sh-splow!  
  
Both women jerked as a spell hit the sanctum's outer defences. "Shit," Illyanna cursed, rising to her feet, "we'd better get to a window, see what we're dealing with."  
  
"Right," a bit of a blush still touched Kitty's cheeks. 'What was I just about to do?' she wondered as they raced to the outer wall of the stately building, feeling other spells harmlessly hitting the outer shields.  
  
"Well, well," Illyanna softly murmured when they finally got a good look at their fearsome attacker, "isn't that lame."  
  
The mystic, looking strangely like an Elvis impersonator with his rhinestone studded suit, big hair and all was trying to breech the outer gates without success. "C'mon out Dr, Strange," he yelled with a clear southern accent, "an' face the wrath of the King of magic, Spellvis!"  
  
Kitty and Illyanna exchanged a glance, then broke up laughing.  
  
"I can not believe this," Illyanna snickered, "you want me to go out and handle this?" She summoned her Soulsword, silvery fire dancing up the shining blade.  
  
Kitty squinted at him, raising her perceptions to assess his magic. "No can do," Kitty shook her head, "he's used his magic to enhance himself, somehow. If you use the Soulsword on him, you might just kill him."  
  
"And that's bad because.. ?" Illyanna asked her as the evil Elvis impersonator broke out into a bad rendition of 'Blue Suede Shoes.'  
  
Kitty winced at his off key singing. "Ok, it might be a service to humanity to remove him from the genepool," she admitted, "but that kind of thing is frowned upon in polite circles."  
  
"He's drawing a crowd," Illyanna sighed.  
  
Just outside, several of the predestrians had taken offence with Spellvis' terribly bad signing. Fighting them off he gestured, and turned a man into a toad.  
  
"Unoriginal, too," Kitty said dangerously. She puffed out a irritated breath, "Could you teleport us out there? I'll handle him."  
  
"No problem," Illyanna summoned up a stepping disk, and they were wisked outside.  
  
"Hey, hands off the suit," Spellvis loudly complained as another man struggled to try and silence the bad singing.  
  
"We are not telling Doctor Strange anything about fighting this lame- o when he gets back," Illyana muttered.  
  
"You got that right," Kitty sighed. "Hey, you! Spellvis!"  
  
"Love me, tender, luuve me true," Spellvis started to sing before seeing the women. He leered as Kitty walked towards him, "Would you like my autograph, missy?"  
  
Pow!  
  
Kitty punched him right in the head. Spellvis gazed at her in honest shock for a moment, then his eyes rollup in his head as he fell backwards out cold. "Oww," Kitty shook her hand, "Logan makes that look so easy, too."  
  
"He's got unbreakable bones, remember?' Illyanna said, adding admiringly, "I didn't know you had it in you, Kitty."  
  
"The leer inspired me," Kitty said dryly. She walked over to where the toad was hopping about irritably, chanted a few words, and it reverted to normal. Then Kitty held her hands over Spellvis and spoke a few different words.  
  
"You sealed off his magic," Illyanna said admiringly.  
  
"I'm pretty sure someone in the neighborhood phoned in a noise complaint," Kitty shrugged, "so we'll let the police handle him."  
  
"Nice," Illyanna grinned.  
  
The two of them walked into the sanctum together as Kitty plaintively asked Illyanna, "So what's for dinner?"  
  
"Kitty!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Authors Note: Spellvis is not my creation, by the way. He first appeared in stories by Fred Perry, the writer artist of Gold Digger and Legacy. 


	9. Nine

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Nine  
  
"Freeze Arrow!" the dark haired woman cried, her overly large breasts bouncing wildly within the confines of her leather bikini.  
  
Kitty quickly ducked and rolled, barely avoiding the icy bolt. Raising her hands a few chanted words sent a wave of explosive force at the other woman, throwing her backwards. "Would you just give it up?" Kitty growled, her brown hair falling in her eyes.  
  
"The great Naga the White Serpent," the woman threw her cape back over her shoulder, sending her breasts bouncing again and showing off what amounted to a leather thong, "along with her diminutive junior business partner never give up!"  
  
"Junior business partner?" the little redhead growled out. She shook her head then looked over at Illyanna, "I don't know how I got here, but Lina Inverse is not leaving without getting at least some treasure out of this!"  
  
"Indeed," Naga nodded, then broke into the most irritating laughter.  
  
'When I get my hand on the so-called mystic who opened up that portal, I'm so gonna kill him,' Kitty thought to herself irritably.  
  
Sadly, the fool in question had a pretty good sense of self preservation and had already ran away as fast as his feet could take him. All around them the honking of horns got louder, the snarled up traffic in the middle of Times Square getting even more impatient.  
  
"Freeze Arrow," Naga tried again, a arrow of ice zinging towards Kitty.  
  
"That's it," Kitty growled. Naga had used the spell enough times Kitty had developed a feel for how it worked, and she stopped the icebolt in midair. As Naga gaped at her in shock Kitty smiled a very unpleasant smile, "Freeze Arrow!"  
  
"You can't," Naga started to say as she turned around to run away, but the icebolt froze her where she stood.  
  
"Well, at least she stopped laughing," Lina sighed. She looked at the two sorceresses, "I think I'm going to have to get serious with you."  
  
Illyanna gestured, the soulsword flaming to life in her hands as the blonde said coldly, "If that's the way you want to play it, then let's go."  
  
"Heed me, oh spirits darker than dusk," Lina's voice took on an odd ring as she closed her eyes, "Red beyond crimson flow like blood, In the name of those fallen to dust." Around her scarlet energies flowed, growing in power, "I pray to the shadows, Mark ye these villains that bar our way, And to my small strength thine own ally, To deliver doom, folly repay." Her eyes popped open blood red, "Come judgment from the grave, Dragon Slave!"  
  
Illyanna grabbed at Kitty's hand as the power was released at them in a great wave, "We've got to get out of here!"  
  
"No," Kitty seemed to blaze golden, "if we don't contain this the people around us..."  
  
The two young women raised up their hands, the words flowing together as they spoke in unison. The fiery bolt faltered, the shining light binding and containing it until in a final wave of energy they both canceled each other out.  
  
The three stood on the battlefield, the pavement bent and twisted where the spells collided, but otherwise only limited property damage had occurred. "I'm impressed," Lina inverse managed tiredly. She grinned, "Let's see if you can do it again."  
  
"Wait just a minute!" Kitty bellowed, startling both of the young women. Lina looked at her curiously as Kitty added, "Even if you do manage to beat the two of us .."  
  
Illyanna jumped in, "Which isn't likely!"  
  
Kitty gave her a scolding look before continuing on, "how, exactly, are you going to get you and your friend back home?"  
  
Lina frowned to herself slightly before admitting, "I hadn't thought of it yet, but I'm sure I'll figure out something."  
  
"What Kitty's driving at," Illyanna leaned casually on the soulsword, "is that I can get both of you home fairly easily with my stepping disks."  
  
"And I get to go home with nothing?" Lina raised an eyebrow, the slim girl in red shirt and black pants looking at them with a slight smile.  
  
"Better that pressing on in a fight where you don't even know if you will get something out of it," Kitty pointed out, "instead, why not use the time and effort in your own world where you know you can make a profit?"  
  
"You must be the negotiator of your partnership," Lina looked at Kitty thoughtfully, She shrugged, "You've got a point, I guess."  
  
"This won't hurt a bit," Illyanna summoned the stepping disks before she could change her mind. It took only moments for Illyanna to return, a slight smile on her face.  
  
"Did you have any problems?" Kitty asked as she chanted softly, repairing the street and the minor damage all around them.  
  
"Nah," Illyanna grinned impishly, "once they saw the Limbo dimension Lina quieted down pretty fast." She looked a bit thoughtful, "The only strange thing was that she asked if I was L-sama, whatever that means."  
  
Kitty frowned slightly, "It almost sounds like something Stephen said..."  
  
"Should we look it up when we get home?" Illyanna said, a wave of her hand reminding Kitty that they were still standing in Times Square.  
  
"Oh, right," Kitty blushed.  
  
The stepping disks materialized underneath them, and they disappeared from the noise and confusion of the heart of New York City to reappear inside the Sanctum itself. 'It's odd,' Illyanna noted as they walked towards the library/workroom, 'how at home Kitty has become in the sanctum, easily adapting to her role.'  
  
"You know, I'm beginning to think you'd make a pretty good sorceress supreme," Illyanna noted with a gentle smile.  
  
Kitty made a face. "As long as I don't have to wear the funky outfits Dr. Strange does," she smiled, "I'll be happy."  
  
"Considering some of the costumes you wore as Sprite," Illyanna smirked, "I think you have much room to talk."  
  
Kitty blushed, thinking of the glittery outfit with rollerblades she once wore. "Just blame it on youthful exuberance, or something," she shrugged.  
  
Illyanna reached out to push some brown hair back from Kitty's face, "You know, you're cute when you blush."  
  
"A few weeks ago," Kitty stopped them by one of the closed doors, "I'd probably be blushing even harder right about now."  
  
"You know I love you," Illyanna gently cupped that faintly red cheek, "but I'm willing to be patient, Kitty."  
  
Kitty raised her hand to cover up Illyanna's as she looked up at the beautiful blonde's eyes, "Maybe you don't need to be patient anymore." Taking Illyanna by surprise Kitty leaned forward, pressing her lips to the slightly taller blonde's.  
  
Illyanna savored the kiss for a few moments then pulled back gently. "What brought this on?" she asked Kitty softly.  
  
"I told you I needed some time to think," Kitty chuckled, "but it doesn't take me that long. I've always known I cared about you, I just had to figure out if I loved you."  
  
"And?" Illyanna smiled.  
  
"I think I've loved you for ages," Kitty shrugged, leaning forward to gently press their lips together once again.  
  
To be continued..  
  
Author's Note: Lina Inverse and Naga the White Serpent are both from the Slayers movies. The Dragon Slave Spell itself is taken from when Lina Inverse uses it in the first Slayers Movie. L-sama refers to the Lord of Nightmares, a powerful being whom Lina calls upon at times. Her mistaking Illyanna for him/her raises some questions about how powerful Illyanna might really be... Oh, about the Sprite costume: in the original comics Kitty was inspired by disco and wore rollerskates, I just updated it a bit with rollerblades. 


	10. 10

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Ten  
  
Illyanna lay there unconscious not far from where Kitty stood, the bruise on her temple already darkening to a dark blue. Kitty raised the Soulsword, silvery fire dancing all along the blade as the mystic armor gradually materialized on her arm. All around them figures looked on in awe and just a little fear as the confrontation continued.  
  
"You had no right," Kitty finally growled out softly.  
  
The figure floated in front of her, garbed in a blue bodysuit with gold gloves and boots. A golden helm concealed the entire head, a matching amulet clasping a long cape at his throat. "One so contaminated by dark magic," the voice was eerily hollow sounding, "must not be allowed to become this dimension's sorcerer supreme."  
  
Kitty raised the sword slightly, her expression clearly furious. "This isn't your dimension, Dr. Fate," she said to him coldly, "or should I say Nabu the Wise, the renegade Lord of Order?"  
  
Dr. Fate jerked back slightly, obviously surprised that she knew that much about him. "You are not quite what I was expecting," he acknowledged softly.  
  
"And I'm very well aware how far you are from the sources of your power," Kitty continued on grimly. She leveled the sword at his head, "I probably couldn't take you on, normally. But this weapon channels raw magic, Nabu." A cold little smile appeared on her face, "Get out of here before I peel that helmet right off your head."  
  
A long moment of quiet as eyes met eyes in the dim room, the feeling like lightning crackling between them. Finally, Fate nodded to her slightly, "This isn't over between us." With that, in a flash of golden light he was gone.  
  
Kitty opened up her hand, letting the Soulsword disappear as she stumbled past the dining tables of the Witching Hour to where Illyanna lay. One of the waitresses bent down to help them and Kitty fixed her with a glare, "I thought this place was neutral territory!"  
  
"It should be," the catgirl helped gently pick Illyanna up, the two carefully carrying her over to a padded bench. She gave Kitty a rueful smile before admitting, "But beings as powerful as Dr. Fate tend to make their own rules."  
  
Kitty nodded slightly, acknowledging the point, She brushed Illyanna's hair back, wincing at the mark there. "Could you get me a icepack, please, Miss...?"  
  
"I'm Luna," the dark haired catgirl smiled slightly as she smoothly rose to her feet, "I'll be right back with some ice."  
  
Kitty softly spoke the words of healing, magic dancing around the bruise as she cradled her lover close to her. The two of them had come here to have a simple romantic dinner together, then that gold garbed creep had shown up to ruin it. He had claimed that Illyanna would betray both Kitty and Dr. Strange, and when she refused to believe him he had attacked them viciously.  
  
"Here you go," Luna bent over, offering the icepack.  
  
"Thanks," Kitty held the ice gently to the side of Illyanna's head. All around them the patrons and staff chipped in to restore the nightclub back to it's former state. Tables were righted, debris swept up, and in one case a small fire extinguished.  
  
Illyanna groaned softly, her eye's cracking open slightly as she mumbled, "What hit me?" A moment, then her eyes popped open as she sat up and growled angrily, "Where is he!?"  
  
"He bolted," Kitty gently pushed on Illyanna's shoulder to make her lay down, "Take it easy, you've been hurt."  
  
"Oww," Illyanna flinched slightly, the blonde reaching up to press the icepack a bit more firmly to the side of her head. "I thought the Lords of Order were supposed to be the good guys, fighting to save the universe from the evil Lords of Chaos," she softly complained, "so why did he decide to go after me?"  
  
Kitty smiled wryly, "Nabu was also notorious for meddling in human affairs. Guess he figured we weren't the ones to be doing this job."  
  
"Dr. Strange was the one to be making that call," Illyanna said dryly, "certainly not him." A bit reluctantly she sat up on her own, wincing a bit but looking a little better. She set the icepack aside, her bruise gradually clearing up from Kitty's healing spell.  
  
Luna walked over carrying two plates, which she set down in front of them. "Your dinners, on the house," she said, softly adding, "I'm going to petition that Fate be banned. I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty smiled.  
  
"Your girlfriend was so fierce in defending you," Luna beamed over at Illyanna, "you should be very proud of her."  
  
Once Luna left them alone Illyanna gave Kitty a look, "Why do I get the feeling that Fate didn't bolt all on his own?"  
  
Kitty blushed a bit, "I kind of bluffed him using the Soulsword."  
  
There was a sudden snort of laughter from a table nearby. A smiling John Constantine pushed his messy brown hair out of his eyes, "Hell of a bluff! She actually threatened to peel the helmet off of Fate's head." He rose, tossing a few pound notes down on the table, "If you ever want a job, Pryde, let me know. I was impressed." With that he pulled his trenchcoat on and left, maneuvering through the crowd to the exit.  
  
"Bluffed, huh?" Illyanna smiled at her fondly as Kitty blushed. "Remind me not to piss you off," she added softly as she gently pressed her lips to hers.  
  
"I doubt you ever would," Kitty managed a bit breathlessly once they separated.  
  
Illyanna chuckled softly, "Hope not." With that both young women dug into their food, savoring the finely prepared foods and drinking moderately. Their eyes would meet as they looked up from their meals, lingering a moment before returning to their dishes.  
  
"Ah, that was good," Kitty finally set her fork down, leaning back with a sigh.  
  
Illyanna had to smile, "You're appetite never ceases to amaze me." She shook her head, looking Kitty over, "Where does it all go?"  
  
An impish little smile appeared on Kitty's face, "I thought you liked it when I was... hungry."  
  
Illyanna blushed, "Pryde, you've got a dirty mind." They shared softly laughter, and Illyanna reached over to lay her hand over Kitty's, "Do you ever worry about what Fate said?" More softly, "Belasco got his hooks into me pretty deep."  
  
"No, I don't," Kitty leaned over to kiss Illyanna gently.  
  
"Is that the lover talking," Illyanna murmured once they separated, "or the sorceress?"  
  
"Both," Kitty answered softly. She smiled at Illyanna gently, "When Belasco abducted you to Limbo he did his best to corrupt you, to reshape you into a mirror of him. Despite being a little girl you fought him every step of the way, and in the end you beat him."  
  
"And lost some good friends doing so," Illyanna murmured, remembering the alternate versions of Ororo, Kurt, and Cat that had been slain in that other world.  
  
"They'd want you to be happy, Illyanna," Kitty squeezed her hand gently, "And you are happy, aren't you?"  
  
A few tears glistened in Illyanna's eyes, "Happier than I've ever been." A deep breath, "I guess that's why the idea of loosing it all scares me so bad."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Kitty said firmly. Softly she continued, "And I'll keep on telling you that until you believe it."  
  
"Thanks," Illyanna wiped away a tear.  
  
Author's Notes: This is the original Dr. Fate, not the version that's currently appearing in various DC comics. While having the best of intentions Fate could be both arrogant and foolish, much like he is depicted here. I don't think he actually ever meddled inside of the Marvel comics universe, but it wouldn't surprise me much if he did..  
  
Illyanna's battles with Belasco were shown in the four issue mini-series Magik, published by Marvel Comics in the early 1980's. The alternate Ororo became a sorceress to battle Belasco, Shadowcat became a cat-girl, and Kurt was transformed into a demon. Ororo died in battle with Belasco, and Illyanna was forced to kill both the transformed Kurt and Kitty in battle. 


	11. 11

Kitty and Illyanna: A tale of Magik! Part Eleven  
  
In the study the Orb began to glow softly as Kitty and Illyanna spoke, their hands held just above it. The light from the Orb became brighter and brighter until an image finally appeared within it. Dr. Strange wore a heavy cloak, his normally trim goatee grown out into a beard, but the biggest difference in his appearance was in his eyes. Despite the hardships that he was likely going through, he looked oddly happy.  
  
Illyanna smiled slightly, "How are things going?"  
  
The Doctor gave them a grin, "We're making real progress. The rebel forces are coming together nicely, and we're getting the other great powers of the realm on our side." He looked at the two of them thoughtfully, "And on Earth?"  
  
"Interesting," Kitty smiled. She softly began to summarize the past few weeks, and his eyes widened slightly when she got to the recent encounter in the Witching Hour.  
  
"Dr. Fate," Strange murmured. He shook his head, a little smile on his face, "I think you two are making a name for yourselves."  
  
Clea's face appeared in the image. She smiled at them, "I wanted to thank you, for freeing Stephen from his duties so that he could come here to help us." The white haired sorceress snuggled in close, showing that she had other reasons to be happy having the Doctor there.  
  
"Yes, well," Dr. Strange blushed.  
  
Illyanna smiled slightly, covering her face with her hand. "We should really let you get back to work," she tried to get her expression as deadpan as possible.  
  
Kitty gave the blonde a scolding look before looking back at the Orb, "We'll contact you again in a week or so."  
  
"I'll look forward to it," he smiled gently, then Dr. Strange's image was gone.  
  
Illyanna chuckled softly, "That was do cute."  
  
Kitty nodded, "Yeah. The Doc. really does look happy, doesn't he?"  
  
The expression on Illyanna's face became more grave as she said, "Yes, he does. So what are we going to do if he decides to stay there?"  
  
Kitty smiled wryly, "When we first became his apprentices, I figured I'd train here for a few months, get my magic under control, then go back to the X-Men."  
  
"And?" Illyanna prompted her when Kitty stopped.  
  
"I don't think I can do that anymore," Kitty admitted. She reached out to take Illyanna's hand, "I'm so happy here, with you, doing what we do. I wouldn't want to give it up."  
  
"I'm glad," Illyanna drew her close, kissing her gently.  
  
"We should probably go tell the Professor and the others that we won't be rejoining the teams," Kitty said, clearly reluctant to break off the kiss.  
  
"Probably," Illyanna agreed before drawing her into another deep kiss. She smiled wickedly, "But not today."  
  
"You're relentless," Kitty murmured, but she was smiling.  
  
"And you're not?" Illyanna inquired as they moved back to the bedroom, the slim blonde gently guiding her lover with a hand on her arm.  
  
"Maybe so," Kitty laughed, phasing out of Illyanna's grasp. She ran forward, stopping in the doorway to the bedroom. With a slight frown of concentration Kitty phased again... her clothes dropping to the floor around her.  
  
"Whoa," Illyanna blushed, her eyes going wide.  
  
"Last one in bed's a rotten egg." Kitty scampered towards the bed, a laughing Illyanna running after her as she slammed the door shut behind them.  
  
The stepping disk shimmered for a moment by the front door of the mansion and Kitty and Illyanna jumped out smoothly. It was early in the afternoon, both girls having risen just a bit late, and they had contacted the Professor shortly before arriving.  
  
"I can't believe we slept in," Illyanna blushed as both girls took a moment to make sure their clothes were fine.  
  
"I can," Kitty blushed. Her white shirt was crisp and straight and the long black skirt she had picked out looked quite respectable, but somehow she still felt nervous.  
  
"Pryde!" Illyanna blushed, 'Yeah, I guess we were up pretty late last night.' Her outfit was pretty close to Kitty's, but instead of a skirt she had picked out a pair of slacks.  
  
Kitty stepped forward, about to open the door, then she hesitated. "Before I would have gone straight in," she murmured, then rang the doorbell.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," they heard the grouchy voice approaching the door. It opened, Logan looked out at them in surprise, then smiled. "Well look what the cat dragged in," he pulled Kitty and Illyanna into a firm hug.  
  
"Hey, easy on the ribs," Illyanna laughed, even as Logan let them go. His nose almost seemed to twitch, and a smile teased his lips. "What?" she blinked.  
  
"Congratulations, you two," Logan grinned.  
  
Kitty blinked, "How did you know.. ?"  
  
"Your scents," Logan tapped his nose with a finger as his smile widened slightly, "you don't have scents combine like that unless you're doing it."  
  
"You don't mind?" Kitty asked tentatively.  
  
"Nah," Logan lead them inside, "I had a buddy in the army that way." He snorted at the look they gave him, "Sadly, I don't go that way."  
  
Illyanna shook her head, "Now there's a mental image that I did not need." She looked over at him curiously, "How do you think the others are going to take it?"  
  
"The Prof. probably already knows," Logan mused, "and I think the rest of us will be okay with it." He shrugged, "Being a mutant don't leave much room for prejudices towards anybody else."  
  
"You're a wise man," Kitty hugged Logan, smiling. She focused her concentration, feeling for the Professor, then she smiled. "The Prof.'s in his study."  
  
"Nice trick," Logan noted. He gave them a wave, "I'll catch up with you two later, all right?"  
  
"Got it," Illyanna waved as the two headed off towards the study. More quietly she added, "That went pretty well."  
  
"Let's hope he takes it well when he finds out we're not coming back to be X-Men," Kitty answered. They reached the door, Kitty about to knock when..  
  
"Come in," Professor Xavier called out.  
  
They went in together, taking in the Professor sitting at his desk, looking out the window at the greenery. He turned back with a smile, "It's good to see you in person." He waved them to seats by the desk, "Was it all right to leave the Sanctum unguarded?"  
  
"The automatic defenses can protect it for awhile," Illyanna calmly answered, "and they're also set to let us know if there's any breech." She looked him over carefully, then nodded grimly, "You look pretty stressed, sir."  
  
Kitty had to agree, "Is there anything we can do?"  
  
The Professor smiled wryly. "I regained the use of my legs awhile back," he reminded them, "but learning to actually use them again is taking it's toll."  
  
"I'm sorry to say there's no magical short-cuts to physical therapy," Kitty admitted.  
  
"There's something we wanted to tell you," Illyanna said a bit nervously.  
  
"You couldn't come up with something better than that line?" Kitty murmured.  
  
"I don't see you coming up with anything better," Illyanna answered.  
  
"What did you want to tell me?" the Professor tried to get them back on track.  
  
"Oh," Kitty blushed. She started, "We're lovers...  
  
"I know," the Professor said calmly.  
  
".. and we intend to stay on as Dr. Strange's apprentices and/or successors." Kitty paused, an odd look on her face, "You know?"  
  
"You might work on improving your mental shielding," the Professor's cheeks colored, "you tent to project when your mind is otherwise... occupied."  
  
"You mean," Illyanna's face was red, even as Kitty looked open mouthed at him, "that you heard us when we were..." He nodded, and Illyanna groaned softly.  
  
"If it helps any," the Professor smiled wryly, "I doubt anyone else picked it up. And I'm happy for you both."  
  
Kitty's face was still beet red as she murmured, "Thank you."  
  
To be continued... 


	12. 12

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part twelve  
  
Kitty was still blushing furiously as she tried to come up with a way to raise the next uncomfortable subject with the Professor. It was a bit of a shock to discover that she and Illyanna had been projecting their thoughts while in bed together, so much so that she found it hard to continue.  
  
"There's something else we wanted to tell you," Illyanna gave Kitty a sympathetic glance. She took a deep breath, "We're not going to be coming back to rejoin the X-men, sir. I think we'll be staying on with Doctor Strange."  
  
Professor Xavier smiled slightly, "To be honest, I was rather expecting that."  
  
"Don't tell me we projected that thought to you, too," Kitty laughed.  
  
"No, no," the Professor shook his head, "it was more from how you acted when you came back here the last time."  
  
"What do you mean?" Illyanna asked curiously.  
  
"You were so happy together, and with what you were doing," Xavier said simply. He rolled his wheelchair out from behind his desk as he mused, "Now we need to decide how to break it to the rest of the team."  
  
"Huh," Illyanna blinked, "I hadn't thought about that."  
  
"He's got a point," Kitty sighed. "Some of our friends are not going to take this very well, either piece of news," she said.  
  
"I'd better go tell Piotr personally," Illyanna nodded.  
  
"Ororo, then Logan," Kitty agreed.  
  
"Good luck," the Professor wished them as Illyanna disappeared with her stepping disks and Kitty rose up in the air and phased through the roof. "And I'd best give Scott some warning," the Professor mused, focusing his telepathy to send out the message.  
  
Kitty walked down the upper hallway, quickly being waylaid by an ecstatic Lockheed the dragon. It cooed happily as the small gray creature flew in little circles around her before settling down on her shoulder. "Looks like we'll be moving," Kitty murmured softly, scratching him behind the ears.  
  
Girl and dragon soon reached the ladder up to the Attic, climbing up into.. green. Ororo's personal domain, the attic was almost a forest of green, plants handing down in baskets from the roof or sitting in pots on the floor.  
  
"Kitten," Ororo smiled as soon as she saw Kitty making her way through the leaves.  
  
"Hey, Ororo," Kitty said nervously.  
  
Ororo surprised her by stepping forward, quickly folding the girl into the warmth of her arms. "You know," she said to her softly, "I was just thinking about what it would be like when you came home to the mansion for good." Kitty tensed up, and Ororo gave her a gentle smile, "But that isn't going to happen, is it?"  
  
"No, it isn't," Kitty agreed, glad to see the warmth and understanding in Ororo's eyes, "I'm staying on with Dr. Strange. I think I can do more good there, honestly."  
  
"I understand," Ororo kept a firm grip on her as she continued, "but please remember to visit us. I'll miss you a great deal, little one."  
  
"You don't seem too surprised," Kitty noted.  
  
They walked together towards the ladder as Ororo admitted, "I saw the look on your face when you talked about the magic, Kitty. I knew you had found your calling, even if I wasn't quite willing to admit it to myself."  
  
"Thank you," Kitty turned back to hug her.  
  
Ororo hugged her back, and Kitty as surprised to see a few tears glimmer at the corners of her eyes. "If you need help, call," she said quietly, "we will always be here for you." Kitty nodded, then descended the ladder to the hallway below. Only once Kitty was safely gone did Ororo let the tears flow, silently mourning the departure of a girl she regarded as a daughter.  
  
Illyanna summoned the stepping disk, disappearing from the Professor's office and reappearing in the dimension of Limbo. A few steps and she reappeared in Piotr Rasputin's rooms, the slim blonde dropping on his bed with a soft thump.  
  
"Snowflake," Piotr looked up in surprise, wiping at his paint smeared hands.  
  
"Hey, big brother," Illyanna smiled up at the dark haired young man. She sat up on the side of the bed, "I've got some news."  
  
"Did Katya decide.." Piotr asked, and a blushing Illyanna suddenly remembered the topic of their last discussion.  
  
"Oh, yes," Illyanna gave him a little grin.  
  
"As long as she treats you well," Piotr said to her firmly, "then I'm glad." He paused to look over at her curiously and asked, "When are you finishing your magical training so that you can come back home to the mansion?"  
  
"I'm not, exactly," Illyanna wished there were a smoother way to say it, "I'm going to be staying on with Doctor Strange, continue to develop my magical gifts."  
  
"But what about the X-Men?" Piotr frowned, "The Professor has even organized a new class that we call the New Mutants."  
  
"I can just see Kitty calling them the X-Babies or something like that," Illyanna remarked, wining a surprised smile from her elder brother. "Piotr, I can do more good with my magic than as a member of the X-Men or a New Mutants."  
  
"I don't know if I approve," Piotr finally said, "but you're a grown woman, Illyanna." He smiled slightly, "But we will have a place for you here, should you ever change your mind."  
  
"Good enough," Illyanna got up, giving him a hug.  
  
Logan looked up in surprise as Kitty walked up the hall towards him, "You that anxious to see me again so soon?"  
  
"Something like that," Kitty agreed as she took up a spot beside him at the window, looking out over the mansion's back yard.  
  
Logan gave her a look, his nose twitching slightly. "You went to see Ororo," he noted, "it must be pretty important, whatever it is."  
  
"Wish I could do that some days," Kitty noted. She took a nervous breath, "Illyanna and I, we're going to be staying on with Dr. Strange."  
  
"Good," Logan said crisply.  
  
Kitty blinked at him in surprise, "Huh?"  
  
Logan gave her a look, "Surprised you? Kitty, you can't make a chick climb back in the nest once it's spread it's wings. Tryin' to do so just annoys the bird."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty smiled.  
  
"Not that I ain't going to miss you," Logan put an arm over her shoulder, hugging her to him awkwardly. "An' you need anything, just call. I've had some personal experience with the sort of things you're gonna be running into."  
  
"You've had experience with everything," Kitty laughed. She slipped free from his grip, giving him a thoughtful look, "You know, I've never really had the guts to ask this before, but.. just how old are you, anyway?"  
  
"Don't really know," Logan admitted with a shrug. He gave her a slight smile, "But I got memories from well before World War one, kid."  
  
"Wow," Kitty blinked as they fell into step together. She frowned suddenly, "What did you mean, you had experience with the things we're going to run into?"  
  
"Wondered if you'd ask that," Logan chuckled. "Ran into something nasty up in Tibet, once, when I helped out an old coot callin' himself the Ancient One."  
  
"Dr. Strange's old master?" Kitty gulped.  
  
"Guess so," Logan shrugged, "he knew the mojo, anyway. We cornered this beastie, but the thing healed almost as fast as I did..." he continued as they walked.  
  
To be continued.. 


	13. 13

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Thirteen  
  
Nightcrawler smiled, the blue furred mutant leaping down from his perch on a coat-rack to offer them a grin after they finished making their big announcement. "If you two are sure about this," Kurt said, "then I'm glad."  
  
"Thanks," Kitty hugged him, her brown hair neatly pulled back.  
  
"The kids are ready to go," Logan noted from where he sat by an open window, his cigar smoke drifting outside as the black haired warrior continued, "and I'm proud of 'em."  
  
"Pretty cool," Rogue offered from where she was leaning up against the wall. "Just don't get yourselves into too much trouble," she added, the streak of white in the middle of her redish brown hair catching the eye.  
  
"We'll try," Illyanna gave her a slight smile. Rogue had been an enemy of the X-men for a long time, and the slim blonde found having her as an teammate was just a bit odd.  
  
Storm nodded from where she stood. There was a distinct sense of sadness about the African woman as she said, "Like I told Kitty before, I hope you will be happy."  
  
Kitty hesitated as she looked over to the one who hadn't spoken up yet. Softly she said "You've been pretty quiet, Cyclops."  
  
"As an X-Man," Cyclops said gravely, his brown hair falling into his glasses covered eyes, "I'm a bit upset. Both of you have powerful talents, ones I hate to loose." A slight smile, "But as your friend, I want to wish you well."  
  
"We will miss you," Charles Xavier said, hesitantly walking over to their side, "but I'm glad that you've found the path you want to follow."  
  
"We aren't dropping off the face of the earth, you know," Illyanna reminded them, "we're just in New York City. You can visit us, and we can visit you."  
  
"It's not the same as being in the same house, little snowflake," Piotr reminded her gently. The black haired Russian looked over at Kitty, "Take care of her, please."  
  
"With my life," Kitty agreed.  
  
"Coo," Lockheed the dragon murmured from the curve of Kitty's arms. He was coming back to the Sanctum with them, Kitty unwilling to just leave him at the mansion.  
  
There was a final round of hugs all around, then Kitty and Illyanna stood together in the center of the living-room. Illyanna focused her will, there was a shimmer of light.. a stepping disk appeared and they were gone.  
  
The study of the Sanctum appeared around them, and both young women sighed in relief. "Home," Illyanna finally felt herself relaxing, a bit surprised at how tense she had been. She closed her eyes, feeling the mystic defenses, and was glad they were all still intact.  
  
"Home," Kitty agreed, releasing the dragon tentatively. With a single sweep of his wings the small gray beast flew up, Lockheed circling around the room, but staying away from the shelves and all the small, breakable objects.  
  
"Well, that's not bad," Illyanna watched him fly a moment. "Maybe this is going to work out," she added thoughtfully.  
  
"Let's hope," Kitty agreed.  
  
"You want to get some dinner?' Illyanna asked, only to chuckle softly as her lover's stomach grumbled softly. "Dumb question," she laughed.  
  
"You," Kitty poked her with a soft laugh. They left the study together, Lockheed dropping down to perch on Kitty's shoulder. They walked up the hall past the library, the dining room, then on to the kitchen itself.  
  
"What would you like?" Illyanna asked curiously.  
  
Kitty smiled wryly, "To be honest, I think I'd like something a bit trashy." She looked at Illyanna and asked, "How about some burgers?"  
  
"Hmm," Illyanna mused thoughtfully, then she grinned over at her girlfriend, "Why not? Burgers it is, please."  
  
Objects began to move around the kitchen on their own as the ghostly cook worked while Lockheed crouched down on Kitty's shoulder, watching the goings on warily. Ground beef patties on the hot stove, grilling four burgers efficiently even as lettuce, onion and tomato's were prepared for toppings. Hand baked buns were cut in half, and in moments a meal was ready, the left-over fried meat put in a bowl for Lockheed to eat.  
  
Kitty grinned as Lockheed sat on the kitchen table not far from their seats and scarfed down the food, "That's the best way to get on Lockheed's good side."  
  
"Mine, too," Illyanna sighed, eating her burger with much enjoyment while sitting across from Kitty. "Thank you," she offered to the spirit with a gentle smile.  
  
"Thank you," Kitty echoed, munching quite happily herself. There was an odd feeling in the air of the little kitchen, and if their cook still had a body Kitty rather suspected that there would be some blushing going on.  
  
"Remind me to start exercising," Illyanna mused as she finished off her first burger, then moved on to the next. "With this kind of food, I'll gain weight."  
  
Kitty stuck her tongue out, "It's good food, and I think the magic burns enough energy to deal with it. From what I've seen, Dr. Strange never gained weight."  
  
"I hadn't really thought about it like that," Illyanna admitted. She took a generous bite of the burger, "Though I noticed he looked healthier the last time we talked to him."  
  
Kitty snickered softly as she polished off the last of her other burger. "That's because of Clea, I think," she agreed, wiping a bit of ketchup off her chin.  
  
"I can understand that," Illyanna leaned forward, looking across the kitchen table, "I know I feel better when I'm around you."  
  
Kitty felt herself blushing, an honestly pleased smile on her face. "You should be careful saying things like that," she said softly, "you'll turn a girl's head."  
  
"I hope so," Illyanna agreed, reaching across to lay her hand over Kitty's own. "I've been certainly trying," she added.  
  
Kitty took that hand in her own, drawing it up to her lips for a gentle kiss. She met the blonde's gaze, "You've spoiled me for anyone else."  
  
"Humph," Lockheed made a soft noise, stalking away.  
  
Kitty chuckled softly, the two getting up from the table holding hands. They walked down the hallway past the study when Illyanna felt an odd sensation. Kitty hesitated, then Illyanna looked over at Kitty questioningly.  
  
Illyanna stopped outside the door, "Did you feel that?"  
  
Kitty nodded, a frown on her face. "Yeah," she pushed open the study door, both of them walking into the room together. The Orb in the middle of the room glowed brightly, fire swirling about inside of it, almost like a bird.  
  
"Is that what I think it is?" Illyanna asked weakly.  
  
"Phoenix," Kitty moved over to the Orb, looking into it cautiously. There was a feeling in the air, almost like static electricity, something that made the hair on your neck stand on end. "Why would it manifest now?" she looked over at Illyanna.  
  
A loud displacement of air, and both women looked up to see a figure falling from the ceiling. "Look out," the redhead squawked as she dropped right on top of them.  
  
Whump!  
  
"How on Earth," Illyanna struggled up, pulling Kitty to her feet before looking at the redheaded teen in shock, "did she get in here?"  
  
"The defenses are still intact," Kitty checked quickly.  
  
"Ah, hello," the redhead gave them a nervous smile, "my name is Rachel Summers. I'm sort of your apprentice from about twenty years in the future."  
  
Both women stood there, mildly dumbfounded. "What?!" both blurted.  
  
To be continued... 


	14. 14

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Fourteen  
  
Lady Katherine Pryde moved around the sanctum, making the final preparations for the spell. "I'm sorry we have to do this," she said, her simple dark blue bodysuit clinging to her body. Long brown hair fell in a braid down her back, a golden clasp holding the end.  
  
"I understand, ma'am," Rachel Summers bowed slightly, "with the attack of Neron, it's just too dangerous having me here in this era." The little redhead looked a bit nervous standing there, dressed in the simple T- shirt and jeans.  
  
Illyanna Rasputin walked in wearing her silvery body armor, her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. "This will be good practice for you," she softly added, "we'll be accessing your latent temporal abilities as well."  
  
"So don't be too nervous," Katherine gave her a motherly smile as she continued, "we won't bite, even in that era. Both of us had just began our journeyman period of training, and your help would be appreciated, I think."  
  
"Right," Rachel squeaked nervously.  
  
"And here," Illyanna handed her a simple golden orb. "Give this to either me or Kitty and it will tell them who you are, all right?"  
  
"Thanks," Rachel tucked the orb into her pocket.  
  
"We're ready to go, I think," Katherine said quietly. She gave Rachel a gentle smile before adding, "It won't hurt a bit."  
  
Rachel stood in the center of the carefully drawn circle, her pulse racing as she waited. Katherine walked around the circle, light dancing around her hands as she spoke the incantation. The stepping disk shimmered as Illyanna called it up around Rachel, there was a odd sensation as the room disappeared around her...  
  
... then there was a loud displacement of air, and Rachel realized that she was falling fast. "Look out," Rachel barely managed to squawk out as she dropped from the ceiling of the study to fall right on top of her two masters!  
  
Whump!  
  
"How on Earth," Illyanna struggled up from the floor, helping to pull Kitty to her feet before looking at the redheaded teen sitting on the floor, "did she get in here?" She gestured and the Soulsword flickered to life in her hands, silvery fire dancing along it's length.  
  
"The defenses are still intact," Kitty checked quickly before putting a hand on Illyanna's arm. "Put that away," she said softly, "she looks terrified."  
  
"Ah, hello," Rachel looked up at her suddenly younger masters and gave them a nervous smile, "my name is Rachel Summers." She took a breath, "I'm sort of your apprentice from about twenty years in the future."  
  
Both women stood there looking at her utterly dumbfounded. "What?!" they finally blurted out at almost exactly the same time.  
  
'Pretty much what the Masters said would happen, Rachel thought as she got up, dusting herself off with a sheepish smile. "I'm really sorry for this," she said. She pulled a golden ball out of her pocket, "Here, I was told to give this to you."  
  
Illyanna hesitated, then took it into her hands. There was a shimmer of light, then before the three of them an image of two older women appeared. Katherine Pryde wore a set of glasses, a few strands of gray in her hair, while Illyanna had a single scar running down the side of her face, almost as if she had been raked by a claw.  
  
Katherine smiled slightly, "I'm not quite sure what to say.. this is Rachel Summers, she's our apprentice and the daughter of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor."  
  
"We can't tell you much about what's coming," Illyanna gave her lover a frown, "for fear of contaminating the timeline. We've become aware of a grave threat, one that has come seeking Rachel's powers, and to protect her we're sending her to your era."  
  
"I'm sorry to have to impose on you like this," Katherine shrugged, "but it seems to be our best option right now."  
  
"We'll retrieve Rachel as soon as possible," Illyanna said, "but it may be a few weeks." With a grin she added, "Good luck!"  
  
"Thank you again," Katherine beamed, then the image simply faded away.  
  
Kitty and Illyanna sat there a moment, looking at the golden orb, then looking up at where Rachel sat. "When I meet my future self," Illyanna said with a frown, "remind me to kick my ass."  
  
"Illyanna," Kitty scolded. She looked over at Rachel, "Sorry, we're both a bit.. surprised by all this." She paused, "Why did they send you back here, exactly?"  
  
"It's complicated," Rachel sighed. She smiled wryly, "Lady Katherine already blurted who my parents are, so I guess I can start with that."  
  
"Lady Katherine?" Illyanna raised an eyebrow, only to be shushed by Kitty.  
  
"Madelyne was a clone of Jean Gray, the Phoenix, who was created by the villain called Mr. Sinister," Rachel said to them gravely. "She and my Dad discovered this when they were looking into my Dad's background. Together they fought against Sinister to save my big brother Nathan from being manipulated by him and they won."  
  
"Mr. Sinister," Kitty murmured, "I don't like the sound of him at all."  
  
"Wait till you get to meet him," Rachel said with a sigh.  
  
"He's worse than he sounds?" Illyanna blinked.  
  
"You have no idea," Rachel said with a sigh. She took a deep breath and continued on, "My Mom was eventually able to learn to access the telekinesis and telepathy that Jean had, but the Phoenix power was blocked, somehow."  
  
"Just before you arrived," Kitty said quietly, "I thought I saw the Phoenix in one of the orbs. I take it you're not blocked?"  
  
"I've actually never tried to call on the Phoenix," Rachel admitted, "so we don't know for sure, but yes, the masters do think so."  
  
"I'm feeling just a bit confused here," Illyanna admitted, "from a time trip Kitty took into the future a while back, we saw a world that was ruled by the Sentinels."  
  
"No," Rachel shook her head, "that never happened."  
  
Kitty had the oddest look on her face, staring off into the distance. "I think I have a theory," Kitty finally said thoughtfully.  
  
"What is it?" Illyanna prompted her impatiently.  
  
Kitty puffed a little breath out, "The time trip I took was done before you and I became Doctor Strange's apprentices, love."  
  
Illyanna looked at Kitty in surprise. "One small thing like that could have caused such a big change?" she finally said.  
  
"You once told me," Rachel said softly, "that a single pebble can change the course of a river, if it falls into the right place."  
  
"Dr. Strange," Kitty corrected her.  
  
"Eh?" Rachel blinked.  
  
"Dr. Strange used that phrase on us," Illyanna elaborated. She smiled slightly, "I guess your Masters never said where they heard it?"  
  
"No, they didn't," Rachel agreed.  
  
Kitty cupped the squarish amulet she wore, the center irising open to reveal a shining gem. "This shouldn't hurt a bit," she said as she bathed Rachel in it's light for a moment.  
  
"Nothing?" Illyanna asked a moment later.  
  
"No demonic influences," Kitty agreed. She gave Rachel a smile, "You can probably guess that we had to check, right?"  
  
"That's pretty much what your future self said," Rachel agreed. Her stomach gurgled softly and she blushed furiously, "Sorry."  
  
"I'm hungry, too," Kitty grinned. "Who wants a snack?"  
  
"Two of them," Illyanna sighed as they walked to the kitchen together.  
  
To be continued... 


	15. 15

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Fifteen  
  
"Remarkable," Professor Charles Xavier blinked.  
  
"I hope you have something a little more useful than that to say," Kitty's semi-transparent astral form scolded him gently. "With Doctor Strange still gone, you seemed the best person to contact," the brown haired girl explained.  
  
"Let me get to Cerebro," the Professor said as he rolled across the office, revealing the concealed electronics. He pulled the silvery helmet on, then concentrated, his eyes widening as he murmured, "Fascinating."  
  
"Is that a good fascinating or a bad fascinating?" Kitty asked.  
  
Professor Xavier gave her a look then said, "Her psionic imprint is unique, but it clearly shows traces of both Scott Summers and Jean Grey."  
  
"Does she have a mutant power?" Kitty asked.  
  
Xavier focused his concentration, "It seems she inherited telekinesis and telepathy at some impressive levels," he noted, "but her individual ability seems to be a separate psionic ability."  
  
"So she's telling us the truth," Kitty sighed.  
  
"Apparently so," he agreed. Xavier looked at her curiously, "I would like you to bring her by the mansion, if possible, so that I can do a more precise examination."  
  
"That may not a good idea," Kitty shook her head, "her resemblance to Jean Grey is uncanny. What if she runs into Scott?"  
  
"A point," Professor Xavier acknowledged.  
  
"Still, I'll try to bring her by as soon as possible," Kitty said thoughtfully, "we can just put a glamour over her, or something."  
  
"Thank you," the Professor smiled. He noted that Kitty's image had begun to fade and said, "You'd best cut contact."  
  
"Right," Kitty nodded, "talk to you soon...."  
  
With that, her already semi-clear faded out, entirely disappearing in a few moments. Xavier returned the Cerebro helmet to it's place before sighing, "I hope this isn't more trouble."  
  
Kitty blinked a few times, seeing Illyanna looking down at her worriedly. "Are you all right?" Illyanna asked, blonde hair flowing around her.  
  
"Just a bit of a headache is all," Kitty said with a sigh, uncrossing her legs and getting a bit wobbly to her feet.  
  
"So what did the Prof. say?" Illyanna asked curiously.  
  
"As far as he can tell she is the child of Jean and Scott," Kitty answered, stretching out a bit. "Is Rachel still asleep?" she asked as they left the study together.  
  
"She's still out like a light," Illyanna noted. She looked over at Kitty, "I was a little surprised to see her collapse after eating lunch...."  
  
"Stress, probably," Kitty shrugged.  
  
The two went upstairs to the bedrooms, walking down the hallway to cautiously open up the door to the guest room that was beside their own room. Oddly, Kitty was pretty sure that the room hadn't been there before earlier today. The house had apparently restructured itself to create the room, anticipating their needs.  
  
Rachel slept soundly on the big bed, her short red hair curling against her neck. Her green eyes were closed, her slim form curled up a bit on the large bed. She rolled over to snore once, loudly, then Illyanna reached out to gently pull the door shut.  
  
They walked a short ways away before Illyanna said, "So what do we do now?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure," Kitty softly admitted. "I kind of doubt that we're qualified to help train her," she put her hands in her jeans pockets as she continued, "not and keep up with are duties as Doctor Strange's apprentices."  
  
"We'll manage, love," Illyanna said. She gave her lover a smile, "Let's go check the Orb, see if there's anything new and unusual to deal with."  
  
"Hopefully not another summoner trying to call up an Elder God," Kitty noted as they walked on, "banishing things back to the Dungeon Dimensions isn't easy."  
  
Back in the guest room Rachel waited to be sure they were gone before she stretched out, her red hair falling into her face. She sat up on the bed, blinking away tiredness, then slid off to walk onto the bare floor. She dropped to her knees, closing her eyes as a golden fire flickered all around her form. It danced outward, concentrating in front of Rachel, and in moments a beautiful woman stood, her body glowing red-orange.  
  
She smiled warmly, scarlet flames dancing around her face like hair as she gently said, "Are you well, child?"  
  
"I am, Lady Phoenix," Rachel said softly.  
  
The Phoenix laughed softly, shaking her head. "I'm no lady," she said, "and as I've told you before, call me Jean."  
  
"Jean then," Rachel said, a blush to her cheeks. "I've safely arrived in the past, and my masters remain unaware of your presence," she paused, "I hope."  
  
"They won't remain unaware for long," Jean noted, "as powerful as I am, even I cannot hide from this dimension's sorcerer supremes."  
  
"They aren't yet... are they?" Rachel blinked in surprise.  
  
"Dr. Strange has invested them with the task," Jean said softly, "and the great powers of this dimension have sensed the shift."  
  
"So I should tell them about you?" Rachel sighed.  
  
"I think so," Jean nodded, "and it should be sooner rather than later. Keeping secrets from them will make you no friends."  
  
"You're right," Rachel nodded. She smiled suddenly, "Walk down with me?"  
  
Jean chuckled, "Of course." They left the bedroom together, going towards the stairs as she asked, "Are you truly nervous about facing them alone?"  
  
"Well, Illyanna anyway," Rachel blushed, "I've heard about what she did during the Demon Wars, the battle for Limbo."  
  
"And Kitty?" Jean asked.  
  
"No, not Kitty," Rachel admitted. "She's always been a bit of an adopted Aunt to me, it's hard to be scared of her," she explained.  
  
"I'm glad," Jean said. They reached the closed door to the study, hearing talking going on inside. She turned to Rachel and asked, "Ready?"  
  
"Yes," Rachel knocked on the door, waiting until she was invited in to push it open. Kitty and Illyanna were bent over one of the orbs, studying something intently.  
  
"Hi," Kitty looked up with a smile.  
  
"Uhm," Rachel took a nervous breath, "I didn't tell you everything, when I first arrived. I've me the Phoenix and... well...."  
  
The Phoenix stepped into view, the fiery incarnation of Jean Gray giving both young women a cheery wave as she stood protectively at Rachel's side.  
  
Kitty blinked in surprise, then pulled out a ten dollar bill and passed it to Illyanna with a sigh. "You won the bet, partner," Kitty said.  
  
"Told you she'd 'fess up quickly," Illyanna smirked as she put the money away.  
  
"You knew?" Rachel blinked.  
  
"We sensed the Phoenix," Kitty nodded respectfully to the woman, "almost as soon as you arrived. I thought we should give you a chance to tell us, first."  
  
"And you helped me win a bet," Illyanna smirked.  
  
Rachel shook her head, "You two really don't change too much in the next twenty years."  
  
"Thank you," Kitty answered before adding thoughtfully, "I think."  
  
To be continued... 


	16. 16

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Fifteen  
  
The Phoenix looked oddly human sitting there, munching on a chocolate donut. The five of them sat around a table in the kitchen snacking, talking as they tried to adapt to this most unuual guest. "It's been a long time," Jean noted, licking some of the chocolate off of her fingers.  
  
"Coo," Lockheed agreed, the dragon holding his own donut in his paws.  
  
Kitty sipped some coffee to wash the latest donut down, then she put her cup on the dining table. "Can you tell us anything about the threat that we'll be facing in the future?" the brown haired woman asked curiously.  
  
Phoenix shook her head, "I'm sorry, my memories are clouded around this foe... something I think he may have done intentionally."  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me," Rachel said, her short red hair shining in the light.  
  
Illyanna grabbed another donut from the box on the middle of the table, "We'd better make sure that the Sanctum defences are at full strength." The intense blonde smiled grimly as she added, "There's always a chance that he'll attack in this era."  
  
"We think alike," Kitty murmured. She frowned slightly, "Though if this enemy can mess with the Phoenix, I'm not sure what our defences can do."  
  
"He's not all that powerful in a cosmic sense," Phoenix calmly reassured them, "he simply has a power that I am vulnerable to." The fiery redhead paused a moment as if hearing something off in the distance then calmly said, "I need to go." With that she shimmered, becoming faintly transparent, then she was simply gone.  
  
"Coo?" Lockheed looked up in confusion.  
  
Illyanna blinked in surprise then looked over at Rachel, "Does she do that often?"  
  
"Yeah," Rachel nodded with a sigh, drinking some coffee. "I think it has to do with her duties as the Phoenix force, but I'm not entirely sure," she said.  
  
"Either way it's not our problem," Kitty said, finishing off another donut. She wiped her hands off with a napkin and said, "We should get to work reinforcing the defences, just in case."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Illyanna said, licking cream filling off a finger.  
  
Rachel hopped to her feet, "I'd like to help if you'll let me."  
  
The three went into the workroom, Kitty and Illyanna each moving to grab certain books from the shelves. They carted the books over to the table, flipping them open as they looked up the information they needed. Rachel watched the two work, each pointing out things to the other as they worked, finally settling on a strategy.  
  
Kitty and Illyanna stood in the center of the room, a pentacle drawn on the floor. Around the edge runes in a Norse style were written, while three candles glowed in the semi darkness. Illyanna spoke first, invoking certain powers, then Kitty took her turn, voice ringing out. There was a odd sensation, a warmth on their skins, then it was gone.  
  
"And that," Kitty pushed her hair back with a smile, "should be that."  
  
Rachel shook her head slightly, "I barely followed that, honestly."  
  
"We're experimenting with a new shield," Illyanna said in explaination.  
  
Kitty was rubbing out the circle with a cloth as she said, "We altered the outer layer of our shields, it should be more reflective."  
  
"So if someone does attack," Rachel found herself smiling slightly, "he'll be blasted by his own power bouncing back?"  
  
"You got it," Illyanna smiled evilly.  
  
Kitty looked a little pale, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "We'd better go raid the rest of those donuts," she said.  
  
"Right," Illyanna agreed, the three young women wiping out the rest of the food. She sighed softly, wiping off her mouth, "Conservationn of energy, you burn fuel whenever you cast spells."  
  
"And the shielding took a lot of power," Rachel mumured. She smiled at them slightly, "I'm sorry for the trouble."  
  
"No trouble," Kitty shook her head, "we were planning to upgrade the shields anyway."  
  
Illyanna stretched out, rising up onto her toes. "Do you still want to go out to the Witching Hour?" she asked.  
  
Kitty nodded, "Yeah, I think so. A seige mentality will just limit our options."  
  
"You've brought me there once in the future," Rachel said. She paused, "You did bring me. You will bring me?"  
  
"English really isn't good to talk about things that have happened to you but still remain in other's futures," Illyanna said sympathetically, "and don't get me started on alternate futures."  
  
"Lets go get changed," Kitty smiled.  
  
Rachel went up the stairs, entering her new bedroom. She walked over to the closet, laying her hand on the door as she concentrated on what she wanted. With an impish smile Rachel pulled out the items she wanted, stripping off her plain clothes and getting changed.  
  
Kitty smiled, standing in the front enterance way waiting patiently. Her button up shirt was white, dark blue pants hugging her slim hips. Illyanna descended the stairs, her blonde hair flowing around her as the red dress swirled around her slim form.  
  
"What do you think?" Illyanna asked, smiling at her lover impishly.  
  
"You look wonderful," Kitty breathed out, stepping forward to gently kiss her. She was careful not to muss her too much, but Kitty just had to do it.  
  
Rachel walked down the steps, pausing to avoid disturbing the two women. Her black pants were skin tight on long legs, the t-shirt almost painted on. To preserve m,odesty she had a leather jacket on, the redhead looking dangerously sexy.  
  
Illyanna eased back, then her eyes widened as she saw their observer. "Would you look at that," she murmured.  
  
Kitty followed her eyes and blinked at Rachel. She offered the young woman a grin, "We're not going to the Hellfire Club, you know."  
  
Rachel blushed, but she looked pleased. "If you want, I could go change into my first choice for the evening," she offered impishly.  
  
Kitty and Illyanna looked at each other for a second. "I know I shouldn't ask," Illyanna finally sighed, "but what were you going to wear?"  
  
Rachel tilted her head to the side, the redhead grinning. "I was going to go with leather pants," she said, "with a full red leather corset instead of a top...."  
  
Kitty blushed furiously, "You'd probably start a riot."  
  
"Remind me to start experimenting a bit with what the magical closets will actually produce," Illyanna noted.  
  
Rachel snickered, "You'd be surprised."  
  
The three headed out, the two slightly older teens and Rachel, walking the streets of the Village together. The city noises swirled around them, comfortingly normal as they made their way to a side street, descending the stairs to a club set below the street level.  
  
Luna beamed at them as they entered, "It'sd good to see you all here again." The black haired woman led them through the crowd.  
  
"Again?" Rachel blinked, "But I haven't visited here... I mean, not yet anyway."  
  
Luna smiled slightly, "You'll be taking a few other time trips, Miss."  
  
Before Rachel could question her Luna had sat them down at one of the tables and walked off. "Well, well," the dirty blonde haired man murmured, looking Rachel over. "Ow!" he yelped as the the young woman in stage magician's garb slapped him upside the head.  
  
"She's jail-bait, John," Zatanna scowled at John Constantine.  
  
"I was just looking," Constantine complained.  
  
"Neat place," Rachel murmured, taking in the sights, completely ignoring all the looks that she was drawing. She frowned, "But why didn't she wait to take our orders?"  
  
"The cook's a precognitive," Kitty explained, "she knows what we're going to be ordering long before we do."  
  
To be continued.... 


	17. 17

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Sixteen  
  
"Ms. Summers," Prof. Xavier smiled slightly, offering the young redhead his hand, "it's good to meet you."  
  
"Nice to see you, sir," Rachel smiled down at the wheelchair bound man with the oddest look on her pretty face.  
  
Kitty and Illyanna followed their future apprentice inside the mansion, watching with some amusement as the Professor tried to get over his shock. The resemblance between Rachel and a young Jean Gray was remarkable and something the Professor was clearly unprepared for.  
  
"So what's the plan?" Kitty asked, giving the Professor a chance to regain some control.  
  
"We'll do a more complete scan with Cerebro first," Xavier said, "then a deep telepathic scan." He smiled slightly up at Rachel, "No offense meant, but I'd feel more comfortable confirming your story for myself."  
  
"Understandable," Rachel agreed.  
  
"Kitty and I haven't tried the Danger Room in a while," Illyanna noted, "would it be all right if we ran one of the training sessions while you do that?"  
  
"Oh sure," Rachel sighed jokingly, "you two get to go have fun while I get pocked and prodded. Life's not fair."  
  
The Professor chuckled softly before saying to Illyanna, "It should be all right."  
  
Kitty watched the two head towards his office, her expression more serious than her tone had been. "You think he'll find something odd?" she asked softly.  
  
"No," Illyanna shook her head, "Ray's the real deal." She paused a moment before adding, "If that isn't scary enough on it's own."  
  
"Right," Kitty agreed. She smiled as they fell into step walking to the Danger Room, "So do you think we'll need an observer?"  
  
"Better safe than sorry," Illyanna agreed.  
  
A few moments later both Logan and Ororo stood in the control room, Kitty and Illyanna wearing the matching yellow and black team uniforms of the X-men in the Danger Room below. "So what sort of session do you want, darlin' ?" Logan asked, the black haired warrior smiling slightly.  
  
"Tough," Kitty flashed a smile, "I'm curious to see how well magic does up against all the Danger Room's weapons and traps."  
  
"Are you certain, Kitten?" Ororo added, the regal African woman looking worried.  
  
"If something goes bad I can teleport us out," Illyanna offered, "or Kitty can just phase." She gentled her tone a bit, "Just trust us, okay?"  
  
"Of course," Ororo nodded.  
  
Keeping his voice down so that the others couldn't hear Logan said, "They're growing up, 'Roro. Gotta accept it, or it'll get rough on you."  
  
"You may be right, old friend," Ororo sighed.  
  
"The scenario's ready," Logan had an impish grin on his face as he said, "let's go."  
  
Before Kitty or Illyanna could say anything the floor dropped away, revealing a pit. Kitty chanted a few words even as Illyanna echoed her action, the two of them floating as Kitty said, "That was playing dirty, I think I like it."  
  
Cables exploded to life around them, trying to tangle up the girls but Illyanna was ready. Soul Sword flaming she cut through them like paper, moving with grace and agility developed through her many swordsmanship classes.  
  
"I thought that her sword only worked on Magical beings and artifacts," Ororo murmured, her eyes slightly wider than normal.  
  
"Guess she figured out how to make it work normally," Logan noted, sucking on a cigar with a grin on his face.  
  
Even as Illyanna cut through the tentacles Kitty raised a disc shaped shield, parrying a burst of scarlet laser beams. Another soft word sent golden streams of power from her hand to destroy the projectors in a burst of fire.  
  
A section of wall slid aside, then a flight of missiles were spat out at them. Both women moved as one, Illyanna's spell exploding the rockets in midair, then Kitty's bold flew through the blast to freeze the launcher in a block of ice.  
  
"Iceman couldn't have done it better," Ororo murmured.  
  
After about five more minutes of traps, weapons and even combat droids a slightly singed looking Kitty and Illyanna left the Danger Room, gratefully accepting a pair of towels tossed to them by the grinning Logan.  
  
"Not bad," Logan said as she pulled on his cigar proudly, "not bad at all."  
  
"I was impressed," Ororo had to admit with a smile.  
  
"Thanks," Illyanna grinned back at them, her arm protectively around Kitty's shoulders. She tilted her head to the side before admitting, "That's the first time I've tried to make my blade solid during a battle, though."  
  
"Part of why we wanted to try it in the Danger Room," Kitty nodded. She pushed her now messy hair out of her eyes, "Not to mention I kind of missed it."  
  
Logan dropped his voice a bit as he said, "I caught an awfully familiar scent on you two when you came in. This lady, she's...?"  
  
Ororo raised an eyebrow, "What?"  
  
Kitty and Illyanna looked at each other a moment, silently communicating. Finally Illyanna gave the two of them a wry smile and said, "It's a long story, and one that I'm not sure we should be talking about, I'm sorry."  
  
Ororo frowned while Logan studied the two of them thoughtfully. "I'll trust you two," he finally said, "though as soon as you can tell, I want to know."  
  
"We'll tell you as soon as we can," Kitty agreed, looking oddly uncomfortable under Ororo's now stern gaze.  
  
Illyanna met Ororo's eyes and the intensity of them made her flinch slightly. "You two mind breaking it up?" Logan smiled at them wryly.  
  
"No fighting, please," Kitty agreed.  
  
"Besides it may not be necessary," the calm voice of Professor Xavier echoed in the hallway. They turned to see him rolling towards them, a smiling Rachel at his side.  
  
"Goddess," Ororo murmured upon seeing Rachel, her face oddly pale.  
  
"Damn," Logan muttered.  
  
"Logan, Ororo," the Professor gestured to his female companion, "I'd like you to meet Rachel Summers. She's Kitty and Illyanna's apprentice visiting from the future."  
  
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. "I thought we weren't supposed to risk contaminating the timeline," Kitty muttered.  
  
"My presence in the past already has contaminated the timeline," Rachel said reasonably, "spilling the beans won't worsen it that much."  
  
"Lovely," Illyanna muttered.  
  
Logan had the oddest look on his face. "My nose doesn't normally lie," he finally said, "but your scent...."  
  
"My mother is Madeline Pryor," Rachel took pity on him and said, "she's a clone of Jean Gray, which explains my resemblance."  
  
"So does she check out?" Kitty asked the Professor quietly as the three talked.  
  
"Both telepathically and by Cerebro," Professor Xavier said, "she is whom she seems to be."  
  
"Great," Illyanna smiled wryly, taking Kitty's hand as she watched them talking away, "so what do we do now?"  
  
"That is something the three of you will have to decide," the Professor said.  
  
To be continued.... 


	18. 18

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Eighteen  
  
"Are you going to let me out of here anytime soon?" the demoness asked them, looking out from the enchanted circle irritably. Her long blue hair flowed down her back, the red and black garb she wore hugging her generously proportioned body.  
  
"Myah," the little brown furred creature sitting at her feet looked around curiously, also contained by the circle.  
  
"We'll think about it," Kitty said dryly, her brown haired tied back to keep it out of her eyes. She looked over at Rachel and Illyanna, "She sure doesn't look like a demon."  
  
"Sorry," Rachel said sheepishly, the redhead looking mildly embarrassed, "I think I may have mis-pronounced part of the summoning spell."  
  
"Well, let me try something," Illyanna said. She chanted softly, light shining around her and their captive, then she said, "She may be extradimensional, but I don't think she's demonic."  
  
"All right," Kitty nodded, "we'd better let her go."  
  
"I'll do it," Rachel nodded. She girl in jeans and T-shirt raised her hands in occult gestures, concentrating, then spoke the words to break the sealing circle.  
  
"Thanks," the woman stretched out with a smile. She looked at the three ladies thoughtfully and said, "Name's Ryouko."  
  
"Myah," the little creature bounced forward, it's rabbit hind legs letting it move easily, the catlike face sniffing around.  
  
Lockheed dropped down to the ground by it, the gray little dragon looking over at it thoughtfully before asking, "Coo?"  
  
The cabbit tilted it's head to the side, "Myah!"  
  
"I'm really sorry about this," Rachel said.  
  
"It's all right," Ryouko looked around, a slight smile on her face, "at least it'll make a good story for Tenchi and the others."  
  
"Let me know when you want to leave," Illyanna said, studying Ryouko thoughtfully as she continued, "we can either try reversing the original enchantment or I can just transport you back using my stepping disks."  
  
'Well,' Kitty thought, 'I'm glad our guest is taking this well.'  
  
After their visit to Xavier's the three had returned to the Sanctum, where she and Illyanna had taken up the training of Rachel. It was a bit odd, especially with their new apprentice's previous experience with them, but it was going pretty well.  
  
'Which reminds me,' Kitty thought as she moved over to Rachel's side and softly said, "Don't worry, it's an understandable mistake."  
  
"I doubt you two would have done something like this," Rachel sighed.  
  
Kitty surprised her with a soft chuckle, "Remind me to tell you the story of the multiple Deaths sometime."  
  
Ryouko looked at Illyanna thoughtfully, studying the slim blonde in her skin-tight jeans and clinging shirt, and Illyanna raised an eyebrow, "What?"  
  
"You people use real magic," Ryouko noted, "weird. The closest thing we have is my... mom Washu's crazy inventions."  
  
Illyanna smiled back with a shrug, "It's something you get used to, eventually."  
  
"Myah," the fur ball looked up at Illyanna, then rubbed against her leg.  
  
Ryouko bent down and picked it up, "Come here, Ryo-Ohki." She scratched it behind the ears as she said, "I think she's getting to like it here a bit too much. You mind sending us back?"  
  
"Ray," Illyanna turned to the apprentice, "you want to take a shot at it?"  
  
Rachel gulped nervously then nodded, "I'll try." She took her position on a chalk drawn sigil, her voice rising and falling as she carefully reversed the original enchantment. There was a 'bamf' of displaced air and their guests suddenly disappeared.  
  
Kitty did a quick scan of the room with the amulet she wore at the base of her throat and smiled, "You did it."  
  
"Not bad at all," Illyanna agreed.  
  
Kitty jotted down something in a notebook, her finger tracing the words in silver on the sheet. "What are you doing?" Rachel blinked.  
  
"Writing down the variation you made in the spell," Kitty said as she finished, "we might want to try summoning something from that dimension intentionally."  
  
"You worry me sometimes, love," Illyanna said, stepping up to her girlfriend's side, "we have no idea the kind of trouble we could call up."  
  
Kitty shrugged eloquently, "Pushing back the unknown in magic has it's risks." She beamed, "Or we could always go there!"  
  
Rachel sighed softly at that, then her stomach growled into the silence. "Sorry," she said, looking mildly embarrassed.  
  
Illyanna smiled, "Let's go get some lunch."  
  
A quick snack in the kitchen and Rachel was looking at them curiously, "So how many of the mystical heavyweights have shown up yet?"  
  
"Not too many," Kitty munched her sandwich happily, "there was Nightmare, of course."  
  
"He tried to capture us in a dreamscape of Xavier's school," Illyanna remembered, "but our psychic link let us join forces against him."  
  
"You mentioned the Deaths," Rachel noted.  
  
"A few goddesses stopped in one from Japan," Illyanna frowned slightly, "I didn't like Urd hitting on Kitty, though."  
  
"Considering she hit on you right after," Kitty said, "I wasn't too worried about it."  
  
"The vision of Eternity was creepy," Illyanna sighed.  
  
"Eternity?" Rachel squeaked.  
  
"The personification of the universe," Kitty agreed. She sighed, "He manifested shortly after Dr. Strange left, I assume to see if we could do the job."  
  
"And then there's all the magic posers we've had stopping by," Illyanna made a face. "There are so many goofs I'm not even going to start," she finished.  
  
"I remember you two mentioning Spellvis," Rachel smirked.  
  
"God he was lame," Kitty groaned.  
  
Illyanna changed the subject, "I wish we knew what to do about the Phoenix's enemy."  
  
There was a sudden disturbance in the Sanctum shields, both Kitty and Illyanna leaping to their feet. A figure wreathed in fire materialized there and both girls puffed out a sigh of relief. "Sorry," Phoenix said, the double of Jean Gray smiling.  
  
"You mind giving us some warning next time?" Illyanna snarled.  
  
"I thought I did," Jean said mildly.  
  
Quickly putting a calming hand on her lover's arm Kitty said to Phoenix, "So what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"  
  
"There's something... wrong, in England," Jean said, sounding mildly confused. "Something hides it from my vision, but there is a darkness there."  
  
Both Kitty and Illyanna instantly became serious, rising to their feet. "Let's check out the orbs," Illyanna offered grimly.  
  
The group walked to the orb room, Kitty passing the great Orb and picking up a lesser crystal ball. She held it in her hands, closing her eyes as she concentrated, feeling for what the Phoenix had sensed. Suddenly the orb flared, there was a scent of ozone then suddenly it simply exploded!  
  
"Kitty!" Illyanna ran to her side as the smoke cleared.  
  
Kitty smiled, smoke curling off her clothes as she said, "I phased, avoided the most of it."  
  
"Yes, I think there's something wrong in England," Rachel concluded softly.  
  
To be continued....  
  
Author's Notes: Yes, that's Ryouko and Ryo-Ohki from Tenchi Muyo. As Ryouko has often been mistaken for a demon it seemed oddly fitting she'd get called up by accident. Urd is the big sister of Skuld who showed up in an earlier chapter. 


	19. 19

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Nineteen

The sitting room where they went to make their plans was comfortable, beautiful paintings hung up on the walls. Various chairs and a couch were occupied by Kitty and Illyanna together while Rachel and the Phoenix sat in their own chairs. A tea set and cups were set up, snacks helpfully provided by the kitchen ghost.

"No," Illyanna just shook her head firmly in response to the question, her long blonde hair flowing around her. She took a drink of her tea, the T-shirt and jeans she wore comfortable.

Rachel looked surprised as the young redhead asked, "You can't use the stepping disks to get us to England?"

'Rachel even dresses like us now,' Kitty silently noted the similar clothes that they all wore, 'or maybe that's something she picked up from our future selves?' Aloud the brown haired girl said, "The longer the range to teleport the greater chance there is that we might time-slip or miss our target, it's a problem with the stepping disks themselves."

"Good explanation," Illyanna complimented her.

"Coo," Lockheed the dragon murmured to himself contentedly, munching on cookies.

Phoenix reached out, gently scratching the animal with a contented smile. "I'd offer to transport you," she said, the fiery replica of Jean Gray looking mildly apologetic about it, "but I think it would be best to keep a low profile."

"With a unknown enemy that makes sense," Kitty nodded.

"So how do we get there?" Rachel asked.

"There's always more conventional methods of transportation," Illyanna offered, "we could always just take a plane."

"Or...." Kitty trailed off thoughtfully.

"Whenever you do that it always makes me nervous," Illyanna commented. She smiled slightly, "You had an idea?"

"And is it hazardous to our health?" Rachel asked with a sigh. She had been the lab-rat recently for one of Kitty's magical experiments and she was sure her eyebrows were still a bit burnt. Admittedly she had volunteered, but still....

Kitty gave her a wounded look, "I didn't know that the Phoenix residue on you would react with the chaos invocation...."

"I'm sure Kitty knows what she's doing," Phoenix said before giving Kitty a dangerous glance and asking, "right?"

Kitty didn't go pale but she certainly looked a bit nervous as she swiftly reassured them, "It's perfectly harmless."

"So what's the plan?" Illyanna asked.

Kitty looked thoughtful, "First I need to test it, care to help me?"

"Of course," Illyanna stood, offering Kitty her hand.

The two got up from the couch, Rachel and Phoenix trailing along behind them as they walked down the hall over to the workroom. Kitty pulled two basins from a shelf and set them down on the table, each several feet apart.

"Could someone get me some water?" Kitty asked.

"Sure," Rachel quickly left and soon returned to the room carrying a full bucket, the water sloshing around inside.

"I almost expected you to use magic," Phoenix noted, watching all the goings on curiously.

Rachel spoke up before Kitty and Illyanna could, giving the Phoenix a slight smile. "Using magic takes energy," she explained, "derived directly from us. If there's a normal way to do something it's better to use it rather than burn energy on magic."

"Exactly," Kitty nodded.

Illyanna walked over to where Kitty stood, dropping her voice to a whisper. "Do you think we should try to contact Dr. Strange?" she asked.

Kitty watched Rachel carefully filing the basins as she softly answered, "I tried earlier but I couldn't get through. I don't know exactly why, though."

"Ominous," Illyanna quipped.

"Or it could be he and Clea were busy," Kitty flashed a grin.

"So what now?" Rachel asked, the basins filled to the edge as Kitty had instructed.

"I'm curious too," Illyanna admitted as they walked over to the work table where the other two women were waiting.

"We all know about sympathetic magic," Kitty said in a lecturing tone as she rolled up her sleeves, "when a object is used to represent all other things of that same type?"

"Of course," the Phoenix nodded seriously.

"This experiment uses that principle," Kitty said, holding her hands over each bowl and chanting softly, threads of magical energy dancing over them. She finished up, light flickering as she closed her hands as she said, "Who wants to stick their arm into a basin?"

Illyanna stepped up and held a hand just over the surface of the still water. She puffed out a breath, "Let's see what happens."

With that Illyanna smoothly thrust her hand in one of the basins and blinked in shock as her arm then popped up from the other one, still perfectly dry. The blonde beauty wiggled her fingers experimentally as the others looked on in disbelief.

Rachel looked at the strangely disembodied hand then shook her head, "That's impressive, I have to admit." She looked a bit nervous, "But how do we use this to get to England?"

"Using this spell we can step into a pool of water here," Kitty explained as Illyanna pulled her hand out of the water, "and emerge from any other one around the world."

"Skuld!" Illyanna exclaimed, surprising the others. "Sorry," she apologized before turning to Kitty, "You figured out how that goddess transported herself through water!"

"I'm not sure if this is the exact method she uses," Kitty cautioned, "but once I found out it could be done I wanted to puzzle it out." She paused, taking a look at Phoenix as she said, "There might still be one problem."

Phoenix looked confused then gazed down at her fiery body sheepishly. "Ah, yes," she murmured, "would it help if I took on a human form?"

Illyanna smiled wryly, "As long as it's not a problem."

Phoenix stood there, her fiery edged body glowing with energy as she flared brightly. The wings of flame danced around her, power building up incredibly yet tightly contained. There was a soft bamf of air, smoke swirling as a woman was revealed.

"Wow," Rachel managed.

They looked almost like twin sisters, this redheaded young woman standing there in the circle of burnt floor. Her long red hair was streaked with gold as it flowed over her shoulders, her green eyes glowing with gentle amusement. Her body was clearly healthy, too, as could be easily seen because she wasn't wearing any clothes.

Kitty chanted something softly, materializing a blanket which she put over Phoenix's shoulders. "You couldn't have created clothes?" she asked.

"Not that we minded the free show," Illyanna murmured under her breath.

"Sorry," Phoenix smiled, pulling the robe around her. She looked over at Rachel, "I hope you don't mind that I used you as a template?"

Rachel's cheeks were faintly red as she answered, "No, not at all."

"Let's get you dressed," Kitty said, "then we'll get ready to go." She looked around, "Now where is Lockheed?"

Back in the sitting room the dragon lay on the table that had held all the snacks. The plates of food were all empty, only crumbs left and the teacups dry. The dragon's belly bulged, he had eaten so much, and he had a very self satisfied look on his face.

"Urp," Lockheed burped.

To be continued....


	20. 20

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty

Allistaire Stuart frowned as the brown haired man bent over a console, studying the readouts intently. He wore a battered brown suit, smudged a bit from his work, and the long overcoat he had on looked like it had seen some wear.

A woman almost alike enough to be his twin neared, the military uniform that she wore marking her an officer in the British army, a colonel in the Weird Happenings Organization. "Any progress?" Alysande Stuart asked her brother.

"Not really," Allistaire looked up, taking in the ring of standing stones that were now lit up like a Christmas tree. The silvery fire danced from stone to stone, leaping and jumping eerily in the twilight. He puffed out a sigh, "It resembles readings from certain events stateside and up on Muir Isle, but that's all I've got so far."

"The Phoenix incident?" Alysande raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was about to ask another question when an officer rushed to their side.

"Something odd's happening by the lake," he puffed.

"Something else?" Allistaire asked curiously. They walked over to the nearby lake, blinking in surprise as the water bubbled and frothed oddly, then it suddenly... it erupted!

"Incoming!" Kitty Pryde yelled as the four women spilled out onto the shore, knocking the two of them over in a pile of limbs.

"Pryde," Illyanna growled out, the slim blonde pinned beneath both Kitty and the badly embarrassed Rachel, her black and gold insulated uniform hugging her body.

"Sorry about that," Phoenix smoothly rose, the redhead offering her hand to help up the frowning Alysande, her sweatpants and shirt chosen for comfort.

"I didn't realize that would happen," Kitty quickly scrambled to get off of Illyanna then the brown haired woman helped her lover up as she mused aloud, "maybe it's something to do with the uncertainty principle...."

"Fascinating," Allistaire looked them over after he picked himself up, brushing his clothes off rather absent mindedly. "Americans, I take it?" he asked.

"Hi," Rachel waved tentatively as she looked around, "this is England, right?" Her red one piece hugged her slim body, the gold 'X' belt buckle gleaming.

"Indeed," Alysande also brushed herself off, "my name is Alysande Stuart, the head of the Weird Happenings organization and this is our chief scientist, my brother Allistaire."

"What?" Phoenix blinked.

A ghost of a smile teased Alysande's lips as she said, "No, W.H.O."

Kitty found herself smiling at that, meeting the amused eyes of the other woman. "Katherine Pryde," she said, tugging nervously at her blue bodysuit, "and these are my associates Illyanna Rasputin, Rachel Summers and... Jean."

"The new sorcerer supremes," Allistaire looked at Kitty and Illyanna with respect in his eyes, as well as a bit of amusement..

"How did you know about that?" Illyanna blinked in surprise.

"We try to keep abreast of this sort of thing," Alysande said gravely, "I take it you are here because of the stone circle here?"

Phoenix nodded gravely as the red and gold haired woman said, "I think so, we're nearly on top of the... event that I sensed."

Illyanna looked around, spotting the mystical flames that shone over the heavy stone blocks not far from where they stood. "Do you mind if we...?" she nodded towards them.

Alysande looked over at Allistaire, "Will they contaminate the site?"

"Should be fine," Allistare offered, "we're not making much progress yet, anyway. An outside, not to mention occult, perspective might be useful."

"Lead the way," Kitty grinned.

"I wonder how they found out about you two?" Rachel asked softly as the group briskly walked towards the site.

"We did get into a public fight in Times Square," Illyanna noted.

As they neared the circle of stones more and more sophisticated equipment was set up, Kitty looking around her wide eyed. "I'm impressed," she finally commented to Alysande, "you must be fairly well funded."

"A combination of government and private donations," Alysande casually dismissed it as they reached the barrier intended to keep onlookers away. She lifted the rope and waved them on by, then followed them in.

This near the ring of small stones the air crackled with static electricity, an odd sensation like there was a storm coming. The stones themselves were barely a foot or two high, inscribed with arcane symbols and text, set in an odd pattern almost resembling an eight.

"Mobius strip?" Rachel blinked, looking at how the stones were placed.

"Looks like it," Illyanna agreed, circling the area as she narrowed her eyes, calling on her training to try and get a feel for what was going on.

Kitty noticed how pale the Phoenix looked and asked, "You all right?"

"It's evil here," Phoenix answered her grimly, "and... corrupt, somehow." She shuddered visibly, "But oddly familiar, too."

Rachel took Phoenix's hand, gazing worriedly at the woman who was wearing a body so like hers. "Let me help," she offered softly and Phoenix smiled at her in relief.

"Interesting," a watching Alysande commented thoughtfully, standing there in a relaxed pose, her hands clasped behind her back. She looked over at Illyanna and asked her, "I take it your friend is a sensitive of some sort?"

"Something like that," Illyanna calmly agreed as Kitty walked over to them, Allistaire lingering nearby as he observed.

Kitty seriously asked, "What's the history of the site?"

"The site came to our attention a little over a month ago," Allistaire provided, "when some phenomenon pushed the stones from underground to the surface." He nodded to rocks, "This appears to be just the tips of much larger slabs of rock, we've dated a sample to over 3000 years old."

"How long has the lightning been there?" Illyanna asked.

"Less than two weeks," Alysande said crisply.

"Almost sounds like the same time Rachel arrived," Kitty murmured. She looked up thoughtfully, "Anything else we should know?"

"The energies involved appear to resemble those registered at appearances of the American superhuman Phoenix," Allistaire offered, "but subtlety different, too."

"Damn," Illyanna whispered.

Kitty nodded grimly, her eyes narrowed slightly. She walked over to the stones, raising her hands to the amulet as she added, "I'm going to try a scan, see if we can find out what's going on." The amulet on her throat irised open, the shining gem floating as it began to glow, casting a beam into the earth below the rocks....

..... when Kitty suddenly screamed, fire coursing back along the light to engulf her!

"Kitty!" Illyanna charged while the Soulsword appeared in her hands. She swung two handed down on the beam, severing the connection with a blaze of power.

Kitty was thrown backwards, limp as a ragdoll but Rachel reached out with her telekinetic powers to slow her fall. Alysande raced forward, grabbing Kitty before she hit the ground as the others ran over to their side.

"Are you all right?" Phoenix demanded worriedly.

"Owww," Kitty groaned, shaking her head. She managed to smile at Illyanna and Alysande, "Thanks, both of you."

"What happened?" Illyanna demanded, helping her lover up with surprising gentleness.

"Whatever is under there latched on to me somehow," Kitty pushed her now sweaty hair up out of her face, "tried to drain my life force right out of me."

Allistaire was taking notes excitedly, "A psionic vampire, maybe?"

"I'm just glad you're all right," Rachel sighed to Kitty. She looked up and over to Phoenix, her expression almost accusing as she said, "You know what it is, don't you?"

"I think so," Phoenix answered, "or at least, I have a very good guess."

"So what is it?" Alysande asked impatiently.

"Anti-Phoenix," she answered, Phoenix's face grave.

To be continued...


	21. 21

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty-one

"Anti-Phoenix?" Alysande Stewart echoed, the brown haired British colonel looking distinctly worried as they stood there in the rising storm.

"Fascinating," Allistaire murmured, the colonel's twin looking around him eagerly.

"How can there be an Anti-Phoenix?" Kitty demanded, leaning on Illyanna for support.

"I don't know," Jean answered, the fiery haired young woman meeting their eyes directly, "I just know that is what it is, instinctively."

"Any idea if it's going to be here for awhile?" Illyanna asked warily, the blonde woman's soulsword shining in her hand.

"I think so," Rachel offered seriously, the young redhead standing nearby her mother, "I don't believe it's fully awake just yet."

"It tried to drain Ms. Pryde while asleep?" Alysande asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jean nodded slightly, "Probably the amulet forged a connection, one strong enough that it instinctively attempted to feed."

Allistaire looked at the others thoughtfully a moment. "We have a shelter set up nearby," he offered, "why not go inside and have a spot of tea before we do anything else?"

"Not a bad idea," Kitty admitted tiredly.

The shelter the Weird Happenings Organization had set up wasn't far from the archeological site, a preconstructed building that had been hauled over to the site. Within heaters staved off the chill storm while a portable stove heated up drinks or food, whatever might be needed.

Illyanna quickly ushered Kitty to a seat, grabbing some donuts and tea for her to eat. The others settled into places around the long rectangular table a bit more slowly, the Stuarts up at one end and the Americans scattered around the rest of the area.

"You came into contact with this... thing," Alysande finally asked Kitty, "can you give us any impressions on it?"

Kitty cupped the drink in her hands, "It's old, but not like the Old Ones we've encountered." She smiled wryly as she munched on a donut, "It almost feels human, but it's been overlaid with an almost inhuman hunger."

"Vampire?" Allistaire asked eagerly.

Jean gave him an odd look, "No, not in that sense. At best it's hungry for pure energy, attempting to become what it was meant to be."

"You know more than you're telling," Illyanna's voice had gone flat, dangerous as she continued on, "I am not providing any more help until you tell us what's going on."

"Giving you that sort of information could change the timeline," Rachel swiftly stepped up to defend Jean.

"Bullshit," Illyanna snapped back, "your very presence in the past has already changed the timeline irrevocably."

"Are you following this?" Alysande asked quietly.

"Think so," Allistaire answered softly, "looks like both redheads are time displaced, probably from the same future era."

"Too bad we can't ask some questions," Alysande said wryly.

"Bad idea," Allistaire agreed.

"That's enough," Jean said, putting a hand on Rachel's arm. She looked into Illyanna's eyes and saw cold fury, a lover defending her bride, and knew she was not getting away with any evasions or half truths. "The Anti-Phoenix is a weapon," she explained, "a force created to be used against the true Phoenix at the proper time."

Kitty made a face, "It's... it did remind me of things the X-Men have said about Dark Phoenix, the passion and hunger for destruction."

Jean made a face at that, "If only it were that simple." A deep breath, "Millennia ago a wizard successfully tore a piece out of the Phoenix Force, binding it into a corpse to be reshaped over the years into the force beneath that circle of stones."

"Your sorcerer enemy from the future," Illyanna said flatly, "the one that Rachel was sent into the past to try and avoid."

"Right," Rachel nodded, "I don't think your future selves expected a manifestation of the enemy in this era, too."

"Can the Anti-Phoenix be rejoined with the original Phoenix Force?" Kitty looked over at Jean to ask.

"If it was purified of the sorcerer's influence, possibly," Jean answered.

"Why aren't you naming who this sorcerer is?" Allistaire asked curiously.

"Names have power," Illyanna gave him a look like he was an idiot, "speaking it could draw his attention here, or even fully awake that thing out there. Either way, not good."

"So we need to perform an exorcism on whatever is under those stones over there," Kitty said with remarkable casualness.

"Just like that?" Alysande blinked.

"No way," Illyanna blurted.

"Seconded," Jean agreed, "you have no idea what he could do to you, especially with the potential power that thing has."

"Operative word being, potential," Kitty said as she sipped her tea. She looked serious, "The way I see it we can take steps now, or wait however many years until this blows up in our faces."

"She does have a point," Allistaire offered.

"Stay out of this," both Illyanna and Jean barked at him.

"Hey!" Alysande protested.

"We're they're guests, remember?" Kitty pointed out.

"Sorry," Illyanna looked sheepish.

Rachel looked troubled, "We faced that thing in the future and it nearly killed us all." A deep breath, "I hate to say this, but I'm with Kitty."

"I can't believe this," Jean muttered.

Alysande sipped her tea and snuck the occasional cookie as she watched the exchange unfold. The situation quickly broke down into two camps: there was Kitty and Rachel who were for taking steps to deal with the threat and Jean and Illyanna who were both dubious about the idea, primarily due to the dangers involved. And of course Allistaire, who was following the discussion eagerly and tossing in occasional remarks.

"Can I make an observation?" Alysande finally spoke up. When she was sure she had their attention she continued, "It seems like Illyanna and Jean would agree to act, if the safety of the others could be assured."

"Well, yes," Jean conceded while Illyanna nodded.

"So is there a way to attempt the exorcism without actually putting yourselves at risk?" Alysande asked them reasonably.

There was a moment of dead silence as they all grasped that idea, then Jean shook her head, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Illyanna drummed her fingers on the table, "It could be done, maybe." She looked over at Kitty, reaching out to take her hand, "Love?"

"We'd better get to work," Kitty agreed, taking her hand with a warm smile.

'Interesting, very interesting,' Alysande thought as she watched as the four women went to work, talking together quietly.

To be continued...


	22. 22

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty-two

Something very like a sun beat down on the deserts of the Dark Dimension, the military encampment set up in the shadow of great cliffs. Humans, humanoids and various other beings were gathering there, more and more every day, rebels dedicated in overthrowing the demonic ruler of this realm and returning their true princess to power.

Dr. Stephen Strange smiled slightly, his black beard streaked with gray, his dark hair having reached his shoulders. The heavy oaken staff he leaned on had become almost a familiar to him, the robes he now wore replacing his old costume. Elaborate spells protected this place and the people here, enchantments he had woven with great care to protect them from this place's demonic lord.

"It's coming together, isn't it?" Clea murmured, her white hair falling into her gentle eyes. Her purple body suit clung to her slim form, a figure that Stephen had come to know very well.

"We're going to win," Stephen answered, looking at her with love in her eyes. She gazed at the crystal sphere and frowned, just slightly.

"You're worried you couldn't reach your students?" Clea asked wryly.

Stephen shrugged a bit sheepishly, "It is unusual."

Clea sighed, "They are both very capable young women, Stephen." She hesitated, "And if you're really intending to stay here with me after the war is over, you'll need to accept that they can handle the job you left them."

Stephen hugged her gently, breathing in her lovely scent. "You're right," he smiled, "it's probably nothing too serious."

Meanwhile, across the dimensions, a conversation was going on about how to handle possibly one of the most dangerous forces in the universe. "So we're going to build a shield," Kitty Pryde said, her brown hair tied back to keep it out of her eyes as she gestured, "a web to contain any backlash from the Anti-Phoenix."

Illyanna Rasuptin nodded agreement, the lovely blonde sitting there by her lover on one of the stones outside the Weird Happenings Organization's tent. "I'm sorry I doubted you," she admitted softly, gently taking Kitty's hand.

"Don't be," Kitty flashed her a smile, "that's what a partner is for, to make us look at a problem from all sides."

Illyanna looked a bit sheepish as she admitted, "I just wish that Alysande hadn't been the one to finally solve the problem."

"Made me feel dumb, yeah," Kitty agreed. She smiled slightly, "Did you notice how Jean seems to like talking to her?"

Illyanna looked at her oddly, "You may be reading too much into it."

Alysande smiled wryly as the brown haired older woman stepped out of the tent, quietly moving away from where she had been listening to the young women talk. 'I rather wish I hadn't overheard that,' she thought as she casually walked over to the circle of standing stones, 'those women are far too perceptive for my tastes.'

The wind was chilly, moisture in the air making Alysande wonder if there wasn't another storm coming. Her uniform kept out the cold, thankfully, and her boots were good enough to handle the rough terrain as she cut across the stony ground.

A figure stood near the edge of the churning energy fields, her long red hair flowing back from her face. She had an almost unearthly beauty as she turned to look at Alysande. "I didn't expect to see you out here," Jean commented.

'What are the odds, I wonder?' Alsyande thought to herself with amusement. She shrugged slightly as she smiled at Jean, "I may love my brother dearly but there's only so long I can take being the sounding board on his cross-temporal theories."

Jean flashed a smile, "He's trying to determine how Rachel and I could still be here if we've altered the timeline that produced our future?"

"Up to a point it's interesting to listen to," Alysande commented warmly, "but after a bit it gets a it much. Kitty and Illyanna went outside to talk, Rachel grabbed a quick snack and with you gone that just left me."

Jean looked amused, "So sorry."

"Your sympathy overwhelms me," Alysande said dryly.

"Have Kitty and Illyanna decided on a strategy yet?" Jean asked.

"In broad terms, I think," Alysande answered her as she gazed thoughtfully at the ominous circle of stones, "something about building a kind of barrier."

Jean nodded thoughtfully, "A layered shield, probably, and we'll likely need the assistance of other magicians, too."

"Why other...?" Alysande blinked.

Jean turned to look as lightning arched over the stones, flickering in the cloudy day. "I won't be able to help," she explained grimly, "the Anti-Phoenix was created to target me. If I contributed my power to the barrier our foe might be able to break through much easier."

"Makes sense," Alysande admitted. She looked over at Jean, "I have to admit, I was a bit surprised that you chose to tell my brother and I that you were the embodiment of the Phoenix."

Jean shrugged slightly, "We may need your help in this." She paused a moment, "I am a creature of impulse and instinct, and those are telling me to trust you."

Alysande looked over at Jean in surprise, then smiled. "Thank you," she softly answered.

Before they could say anything else there was the crunch of gravel and soft conversation as two figures drew near. Allistaire was talking softly, brown hair falling slightly messily into his face while Rachel looked gently amused by his antics. The redheaded young lady waved as they approached, "The sorcerers say they're ready to go."

Allistaire was rubbing his hands together eagerly, "I'll have all our recording equipment on as they work, the data we'll acquire could be invaluable."

"Have you asked them first?" Alysande asked as they walked back over to the tent.

"I hadn't really thought about that," Allistaire blinked. He looked a bit sheepish as he asked them, "I guess I should?"

"Probably a good idea," Rachel laughed. She looked impish, "I don't know what would happen if you annoyed Kitty, but I wouldn't want to find out."

With a wicked smile Jean played along, "We don't know what happened to the last guy who did something like that."

Alysande smiled as she watched her brother looking very nervous. She strongly suspected that Rachel and Jean were pulling his leg, but she wasn't going to say anything. 'Besides,' she thought semi-seriously, 'I'd be more worried about Illyanna.'

Kitty looked up as the group entered the tent, her eyebrow rising as she saw the anxious look on Allistaire's face. "What's with him?" she asked.

Rachel grinned at her teacher, "Just nerves, probably."

Illyanna gave Rachel a suspicious look but decided not to ask. "Kitty and I have a strategy," she answered, "she'll summarize it."

Kitty wiped at her eyes tiredly. "We're setting up a defensive grid," she said, "calling on several magicians to build a intricate defense both for us and Phoenix."

"Eh?" Jean looked startled.

"Makes sense," Alysande murmured after a moment, "if this thing was built to go after Phoenix it may strike if we tamper with it."

"It's frustrating that I can't help," Jean scowled.

"If we fail you have to be here to pick up the pieces," Illyanna said seriously.

"We've contacted the mystics we'll need via astral projection," Kitty said, the strain of that clearly explaining why she looked so tired.

"A bit of a mixed bag," Illyanna added, "Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch, Jennifer Kale, Brother Voodoo, Shaman, Doctor Druid and Albion are all ready to pitch in."

"We would have called in Victor Von Doom," Kitty added, "but he'd be way too likely to screw with us and try to gain the Anti-Phoenix himself."

"So when do we go?" Rachel asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow morning," Illyanna said, ignoring the frown that Kitty gave her. She sighed, "We all need to be at our best when we do this."

"We have extra tents we can set up for you," Alysande quickly volunteered.

Jean chuckled, "Good, otherwise Kitty or Illyanna would have had to magic something up."

"I almost wish I could see that," Allistaire murmured.

To be continued...

Author's Note: All the mystics mentioned have appeared in Marvel comics before. Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch are from Avengers, Jennifer Kale was originally in Howard the Duck, Brother Voodoo showed up in their older horror comics, Shaman is in Alpha Flight, Doctor Druid was also an Avenger and Albion was a Knight of Pendragon.


	23. 23

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty-three

Later that night the tent was quiet as they settled down for bed, Illyanna generating a small sphere of light to illuminate their temporary quarters. The blonde laid out the two sleeping bags that the Weird Happenings Organization had also leant them, zipping them together into a larger bed.

"We're going to need a good night's sleep," Kitty noted, her gaze lingering as she watched Illyanna strip, revealing firm breasts and a flat belly. The brown haired woman removed her own clothes, for a moment wishing she had slightly larger breasts. 'Still, Illyanna seems to be happy with what I've got,' she thought happily.

Illyanna smiled, eyes twinkling as she climbed into bed beside Kitty, "I know something that makes you sleep like a baby."

"Hey," Kitty squeaked as a hand squeezed gently. "The others' tents aren't so far from us, you know," she reminded Illyanna a bit breathlessly.

"Then we'll just have to see how quiet you can be," Illyanna purred wickedly.

In a nearby tent Colonel Alysande Stuart had to fight back a chuckle at the various noises that she was hearing. The brown haired officer looked much less formal undressed and reading a book by battery-powered lamp, munching some crackers absentmindedly.

'Those two aren't quite what I was expecting from the sorcerer supreme,' Alysande mused, though in all honesty she was reasonably impressed with them so far. Both young ladies had shown considerable skill, and even though she had needed to suggest a solution to a problem, they used it without a sign of resentment.

"Are you awake?" the quiet voice came from outside.

Alysande blinked in surprise, for a moment considering hiding her snacks then stopped herself firmly. "Come in," she called, having a good guess who it was.

The Phoenix pushed the flap of the tent aside, the redhead kneeling slightly as she came inside. The borrowed nightclothes were a bit snug, the shirt tight across her bust and pants hugging her hips. "Sorry to bother you," Jean said simply.

Alysande smiled at the other woman curiously, "May I ask why you're visiting?"

Jean gave her a wry smile, "It seems that Rachel snores, and since we're sharing a tent..."

With a chuckle Alysande noted, "And it's not like you can stay with my brother."

A particularly loud moan reminded them of the two young ladies nearby. "Or Kitty and Illyanna," Jean agreed with some amusement.

"Were they that enthusiastic back in the states?" Alysande asked Jean curiously.

Jean chuckled softly, "Well, yes."

Alysande studied the redhead a moment then gestured beside her, "You're welcome to share my tent for the night, then."

"Thanks," Jean flashed a smile, "I doubt I'll get much sleep otherwise." Rather uncomfortably Jean lay beside Alysande on the sleeping bag, giving the other woman a sheepish smile as she accidentally brushed her body with her breasts, "Sorry."

Fighting back a blush Alysande gruffly said to Jean, "See you in the morning." She shut her lamp off and snuggled down, doing her best not to think about the woman who was now sleeping so close beside her.

The morning found them standing out by the circle of standing stones, the mystic lightning dancing from stone to stone. Floating before them were the astral images of the allied sorcerers, each garbed as they usually were for casting magics.

"All right," Kitty said to all of them seriously, "we're going to do this in two steps. The first thing we're going to do is erect the layered protective shields, and only then will we attempt to exorcise the anti-Phoenix."

"Thank you for your help, everyone," Illyanna addressed the ghostly forms, "together we should be able to pull this off."

The elderly sorceress Agatha Harkness began the enchantment, her years of experience providing an foundation for the spell. Dr. Anthony Druid and Albion brought the olde magics of Britain into the network, then Shaman called upon the elemental spirits of the Earth to help them. Finally the youngest stepped forward, Jennifer Kale and the Scarlet Witch bringing youthful power and vigor to the structure.

Agatha Harkness frowned, her face wrinkled with age and experience. "It's done," she said, "but there's only so long a spell this complex can be maintained."

"Incredible," Allistaire murmured, the young scientist eagerly monitoring the goings on. Technicians from WHO were scattered about at different equipment stations, each one recording valuable types of data.

"We're up, love," Illyanna murmured.

"Wish me luck," Kitty answered, stepping nearer to the circle as she brought her hands up to the amulet she wore. She concentrated and it gently irised open, a shining bolt of light sweeping down into the earth.

Rachel braced herself, then the young redhead puffed a breath out in relief. The last time Kitty tried this something from below zapped her immediately, but now she seemed to be all right. "So far so good," she murmured.

Illyanna ignited her Soulsword, the mystic blade burning brightly as she prepared herself to act. "What's down there?" she asked Kitty softly.

"A corpse," Kitty sounded almost ill as she explained, "it looks like someone took the Phoenix fragment and stuffed in inside along with magical energies and tainted life force. It's almost like some corrupt perversion of a womb..."

"So how do we handle this?" Alysande asked crisply, unconsciously hefting as rifle. It wouldn't do much good if the anti-Phoenix attacked but she felt better having it, anyway.

"I think we're going to have to wreck your historic site," Illyanna said grimly.

"Do what you have to," Allistaire said seriously, "WHO is given a pretty big latitude by the ministry, anyway."

Alysande felt herself smile, "Besides, we can always blame it on rampaging Americans."

"Fair enough," Kitty agreed with a laugh. She gestured towards the ground, her eyes narrowed the she bit out certain almost unpronounceable words.

Things were silent for a moment, then there was a distant rumbling. The earth vibrated, gently at first, then stronger and stronger. Finally with a mighty heave the ground split apart above the stone circle even as it spat up a long, squarish object that was inscribed with the same sort of runic pattern as the ring of standing stones were.

"It's awake..." Jennifer Kale cried out in alarm, the young blonde haired woman wincing as if she had been struck.

The stone box shook, cracks appearing in it's surface then it simply exploded to reveal the figure within. The corpse was rotten, green, and the Phoenix flames that danced around it were sickly and tainted much the same. It shuddered, moving jerkily, almost as if it was confused, bewildered by it's surroundings.

Kitty's amulet flared brightly, her words shaping those energies into a spell of containment. Shining rings held the anti-Phoenix captive, but even the power of a sorceress supreme couldn't hold it for long. Thankfully, it didn't have to.

"Illyanna, NOW!" Kitty cried.

On cue Illyanna leapt, sweeping her Soulsword across the form of the anti-Phoenix even as the circle of wizards focused their energies to shield them all. The disruptive powers of the Soulsword mixed with the twisted forces of the anti-Phoenix and combusted, a massive explosion blasting apart the archeological sight with immense power.

When the blast cleared the corpse and the anti-phoenix were gone, only leaving one thing behind. Dancing in the air the tiny bird of fire flew, a baby Phoenix risen from the ashes, purified by their combined powers. It soared towards Jean and settled into her outreached hand, shining in the morning sun.

"That's it?" Rachel blinked.

"Very nearly," Jean looked down fondly at the Phoenix-child, "but I... don't know if I want to reabsorb her. It had struggled hard to live, it seems a waste to do that now."

"I think I may have an idea," Illyanna sighed tiredly. As everyone looked at her she shrugged, "Rachel seems to be the Phoenix heir anyway, so why not give the baby to her?"

"I'm not ready for..." Rachel stammered.

"It shouldn't be too powerful just yet," Kitty noted thoughtfully as she continued, "it would grow in power over time."

"And I can't think of a better guardian to it," Jean added warmly.

Rachel hesitated, then finally a smile teased her lips. "If all of you are sure, I'll do it," she said. With that Jean released the baby-Phoenix and it soared to Rachel, hovering above her before seemingly disappearing within her. "I don't feel any different," Rachel blinked.

"Give it time," Jean chuckled.

To be continued...


	24. 24

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty-four

Allistaire Stuart watched with a certain amount of awe as Kitty and Illyanna thanked the assembled magicians then bid them farewell, the astral forms disappearing one by one. "Did you get the data you wanted?" Alysande asked from nearby, her uniform crisp and neat as usual. Her eyes weren't focused on the departing magicians, though, instead she looked towards where Rachel and Phoenix were talking.

"Reams of it," Allistaire answered her honestly, "we'll be analyzing it for weeks." He hesitated, looking at her thoughtfully then bluntly asked, "Are you taken with this American?"

"What?" Alysande blurted.

Allistaire gave his twin a wry smile. "I know you pretty well," he reminded her gently, "besides, we have similar tastes."

"Well yes," Alysande acknowledged. Allistaire had been trying to charm Rachel off and on, but the young woman hadn't show all that much interest in him. She tried not to be obvious watching Jean as she continued, "But I'm needed here..."

"True enough, but," Allistaire raised a finger, an impish smile on his face, "I seem to recall you haven't taken any vacation time in the last few years."

"Well we've been busy," Alysande began to smile, seeing where he was going.

"I think you have several months saved up by now," Allistaire said thoughtfully, "and a vacation in America would be quite the thing." A bit more seriously he added, "It would certainly give you the chance to get to know her a bit better."

"But would you be all right, Allistaire?" Alysande asked him softly.

"I'll miss having a military liaison who knows me as well as you do," Allistaire acknowledged, "but I can manage the administrative end all right. I should be fine."

"Now I have to try asking them," Alysande fretted softly.

"Courage," he encouraged her, Allistaire giving her a gentle push forward.

Alysande walked over to Kitty and Illyanna, who were saying good-bye to Jennifer Kale, the last of the magicians to leave. "Maybe we'll see each other at the Witching Hour," the young blonde waved then Jennifer faded away.

"Alysande," Kitty smiled at her, the brown haired magician giving her a curious look.

"Are you planning to leave soon?" Alysande asked cautiously.

"With the Anti-Phoenix dealt with we don't have much reason to stick around," Illyanna said, the blonde young woman looking mildly amused about something.

Alysande wasn't quite sure she liked Illyanna, in all honestly. There was something mildly disquieting about the girl, but it was more of a subtle undercurrent. "True enough," Alysande agreed, trying to think about hot to bring up her request.

"I was wondering," Kitty looked at Alysande with a merry twinkle in her eye, "has the Weird Happenings Organization had much experience with magic?"

"Some," Alysande said cautiously.

"We were thinking that the WHO could send a observer along with us to the States," Illyanna stepped in smoothly, "but it would have to be someone already familiar with us, and I think a woman might be best."

Alysande felt herself blush, realizing that both young women knew of her interest and were interested in helping. "Do you have anyone in mind?" she asked casually.

Kitty wasn't fooled, of course. "How would you like the job, Colonel?" she asked with a grin.

"I'd like that very much," Alysande agreed, "just let me grab my overnight bag."

Illyanna had to fight back a laugh as Alysande raced off, a bounce to the older woman's steps. "I'm glad that Phoenix is sticking around for awhile to train Rachel in controlling the power of the baby-Phoenix," she remarked.

"She sure sounded glum about leaving England and Alysande, I noticed," Kitty said, rubbing her hands together gleefully.

"You are such a matchmaker," Illyanna laughed.

Rachel quietly made her way over, leaving Jean alone to look out on the water with a sad look on her face. She smiled at her teachers wryly as the younger redhead asked, "What are we going to do about Jean and Alysande?" she asked.

Both Kitty and Illyanna looked at each other then they began to laugh. "So you noticed them, too?" Kitty asked.

"Hard not to," Rachel said, "it's like watching two teenagers too scared to make the first move."

She frowned at them, "So what's so funny?"

"It's already been taken care of," Illyanna reassured her, "Alysande is accompanying us to the states as a WHO observer."

"Good," Rachel chuckled, "I think Jean was considering doing something rash, otherwise."

Kitty had the sudden mental image of Jean slinging Alysande over her shoulder and had to fight back a laugh. "I'm glad that wasn't necessary."

Jean turned from watching the waters, frowning slightly as she saw Kitty, Rachel and Illyanna laughing together. She felt a certain amount of relief at the defeat of the Anti-Phoenix, but more regret that her time spent here was coming to an end so soon. It was odd... she hadn't been so intrigued by someone in a long time, and to know she probably wouldn't see Alysande again hurt.

Alysande emerged from her tent with a bag slung over her shoulder, her military cap straight and a smile on her face. She strode over to Kitty and the others, exchanged quiet words with them then walked over to where the now nervous Jean waited.

"Is the WHO breaking camp already?" Jean asked her quietly.

"Not exactly," Alysande set her bag down by her feet, then took her cap off to run a hand through her brown hair. "I'm going with you."

Jean blinked at her in surprise, feeling her depression suddenly begin to lift. "What?" she asked, wonder in her voice.

"Technically I'm observing for WHO," Alysande explained.

"And how long will this be?" Jean asked her gently, reaching out a bit hesitantly to take Alysande's hand.

With a warm smile Alysande squeezed those fingers, "Oh, I've got several months vacation time saved up."

Jean and Alysande began to walk back towards where Kitty, Illyanna and Rachel were standing close together. "And what do Kitty and Illyanna think of this?" Jean asked a bit warily.

"They suggested it," Alysande said a bit wryly. She and Jean exchanged a glance, both a bit amused at how easy they were to read.

Allistaire joined them just as Jean and Alysande reached the group. "Remember to email me occasionally," he reminded Alysande gently, "I'd worry about you otherwise."

"I'll remember," Alysande reassured him.

"Thank you for all your help," Kitty shook his hand, "it's been good to meet you."

"No, thank you," Allistaire grinned back, "our observations from this event will keep us busy for months, at least."

"Typical scientist," Rachel laughed. Dropping her voice she added to him alone, "I'm sorry, but I have a girlfriend back home."

"It's all right," Allistaire shrugged with a smile.

"Best get your sensors ready," Illyanna said impishly, "you're in for another show."

Even as a few WHO techs held out monitors Illyanna summoned a stepping disk, the silvery energy construct sweeping over the group and teleporting them away. "Incredible," Allistaire Stuart smiled wryly, turning away to guide his techs in packing their gear away.

Meanwhile in the Sanctum the group appeared...

... just as the alarms warning of an attacker went off. "Now what?" Kitty grumbled.

"Outside," Illyanna said, leading the race over to a window.

Guardian creatures had been automatically manifested to protect the sanctum from physical attack, but the woman outside was making short work of them. Her brown hair was short, matching the simple brown and gold bodysuit she wore, and shockingly twin metallic claws extended from the back of each hand.

"Jane?" Rachel exclaimed in shock.

"Who!" everyone looked at Rachel.

To be continued...


	25. Chapter 25

Kitty and Illyanna: A take of Magik! Part Twenty-five

"Jane?" Rachel exclaimed in shock as they watched the slim brown haired woman tearing through all the guardian creatures outside the sanctum. Dressed in a simple brown and gold uniform she fought with a ferocious grace, twin metallic claws extended from the back of each hand.

"Who!" everyone looked at Rachel.

Rachel shook her head, short red hair falling into her eyes as she said, "Would you mind if I go outside, we might want to stop her?"

Illyanna raised her eyebrows but the blonde nodded, "Right." She looked at Kitty and smiled, "We'll be right back."

"Be careful," Kitty cautioned as Illyanna summoned another stepping disk then she and Rachel were gone in a burst of light.

Outside the young woman kicked out gracefully, her foot sweep dropping the one monster even as she headbutted another with simple economy of movement. "I just want to know where Rachel Summers is," she said coldly, claws gleaming as she braced for another attack, "is that so hard to understand?"

"Jane!" Rachel called as she dropped to the ground nearby, Illyanna right behind her.

With a dramatic mystic gesture and a softly chanted word Illyanna sent the army of guardian beasts back to where they came from even as she watched Rachel and the mystery woman rush to each other, the young lady enfolding Rachel in a firm hug. 'Well, I guess she's not an enemy,' Illyanna silently mused.

"I've missed you," Jane murmured to Rachel, pulling back slightly to look up into the slightly taller woman's eyes.

"How did you get here?" Rachel asked quietly, though from the look on her face she probably already knew the answer.

Before Jane could answer Illyanna gave them a wry smile, "We might want to take this inside." With a thought she summoned stepping disks and whisked them from the busy New York street to the inside of the building where the others waited.

Kitty swept the newcomer with a glance, the brown haired magician blinking as she blurted out, "She almost looks like Logan."

Jane smiled slightly, her brow hair swept back in a oddly familiar style, her brown eyes oddly shy as she said, "That's my name, Jane Logan."

Phoenix smiled wryly as Jean gave the younger woman a wry smile, "I thought we left you safely in the future."

Jane shook her head firmly, "I wanted to make sure Rachel was all right, so I petitioned Lady Katherine and Illyanna to send me here."

"Back up a minute," Illyanna jumped in, "I take it from what Phoenix and Rachel have said you're from their era, but who are you?"

Rachel took Jane's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as she said firmly, "I'd like you to meet Jane Logan, she's a member of the New Mutants as Feral." A pause, "And she's also a clone of the X-Man Wolverine."

"It's nice to meet you," Jane nodded to them all, her smile slightly amused at the oddness of the situation.

"This sort of thing happens to you often?" Alysande Stuart murmured, the brown haired woman standing beside Jean.

"You'd be surprised at how often," Jean answered with a laugh.

"Then I suppose I'll just have to get used to it," Alysande murmured, tentatively slipping her fingers into Jean's.

Jean smiled back, squeezing her fingers slightly.

'Well isn't that interesting?' Kitty noted with some amusement. Turning back to the newcomer she smiled, "I can certainly see the resemblance."

"I'm surprised that you're not asking all of the obvious questions," Jane said to Kitty with a faintly curious smile.

"I'm tempted to, believe me," Kitty admitted, "but I suspect that we don't know enough about Logan in the here and now to understand where you came from."

"That's very true," Rachel nodded, thinking back to what she knew about the X-Men in this place and time.

"So," Illyanna looked at Rachel and Jane standing so close together, "should we put you two together in one room?"

Jane actually blushed while Rachel grinned, "You got that right." She dropped her voice as she confided, "I may hang the 'Do not disturb' sign on the bedroom door early tonight and welcome Jane home the right way."

"Ray!" Jane blushed.

Kitty chuckled, feeling oddly amused to see a woman who looked so much like Wolverine be so cutely shy. Turning towards Alysande she smiled and boldly lied, "We're a little short on rooms, I'm sorry to say."

"Oh?" Alysande raised an eyebrow, the older Englishwoman looking at her thoughtfully.

"Would you mind terribly sharing a room with Jean?" Kitty asked.

Alysande blushed faintly as she looked over at Jean but her voice was steady as she said, "No, I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Good," Illyanna rubbed her hands together, "Jean, Rachel, why not help the newcomers unpack while Kitty and I get started on dinner?"

"Nice," Kitty murmured as the two pairs walked away. Together they headed over to the kitchen, smiling slightly as they gave the ghost that haunted the kitchen their food orders.

"You, Pryde, are a hopeless matchmaker," Illyanna scolded, taking an apple out of the fridge and crunching into it. She chewed and swallowed, "Just because Jean and Alysande are all blushy doesn't mean they're interested."

Kitty gave her a look.

"All right, they're interested," Illyanna conceded. She chuckled, "But you really shouldn't be trying to pair them up so quick."

"I'm not expecting them to tear each others clothes off on the first night," Kitty said mildly, "but this will help them get there eventually."

"It took us a while," Illyanna mused, "even being roommates."

"I was pretty clueless," Kitty admitted as she leaned over to plant a kiss on Illyanna's cheek. She smiled, "Hopefully Alysande is quicker on the uptake."

"I kind of thought she'd be the one trying to make Jean see the light," Illyanna laughed as she snuck another kiss.

"Either way works," Kitty laughed.

Dinner was a success, and Kitty was encouraged to see that the two pairs were still together. Rachel fed selected tidbits to the blushing Jane while the two looked into each others eyes. Over on the other side Jean and Alysande were lost I conversation, gazing happily into each others eyes.

They all tried to stay up as long as possible, but Jet lag and a busy few days finally caught up with them. Rachel and Jane had retired first, Rachel whispering something in Jane's ear and making her blush, then Jean and Alysande made a more dignified exit. Finally Kitty and Illyanna settled into bed, nearly falling asleep...

...when the mystical alarms went off.

Illyanna sat up in bed, tuffs of her blonde hair standing up and expression murderous as she muttered, "I'm going to kill 'em."

Cursing under her breath Kitty got up out of bed and stalked over to the dresser, chanting a few words over a basin of water to turn it into a scrying pool. She looked at the image of the individual attacking the mystical shields and blinked, "Baron Mordo?"

"Who?" Illyanna walked over to peer into the waters.

"He was the Ancient One's apprentice beside Doctor Strange," Kitty frowned, "but I thought he reformed a while back?"

"Guess not," Illyanna sighed.

"Do you want to handle him or should I do it?" Kitty asked with a yawn, tiredly pulling a robe on over her nightie.

"Let's do it together," Illyanna grinned, summoning her soulsword.

Kitty chuckled, "Besides, I have some new spells I want to try on him."

"You would," Illyanna laughed as they headed off to do battle... together.

The End

Notes: Kitty and Illyanna's battle with Baron Mordo was in chapter #1, after which Kitty had a flashback to how she and Illyanna got into using magic. Therefore it seemed fitting to bring the series full circle, more or less.

So why am I ending it now? Well, I originally just planned this to be a silly x-over series, but a plot idea kind of got out of hand... so once I resolved the "anti-phoenix" thing it seemed like a good place to close. Of course I may or may not do a one shot on Rachel and Jane...

Let's see... Jane Logan is based on X-23, a new character who was introduced in the X-Men comics recently as well having her own mini-series. She hasn't got an "official" name yet so I called her Jane, a female version of Wolverine's first name, James. Her origin tied in with Weapon-X, so since Kitty and Illyanna are unaware of that in this place and time, it makes sense that Jane couldn't easily explain it all to them.


End file.
